Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and Palla Srinivasa Rao have dared YSR Congress Party’s (YSRCP) Rajya Sabha member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy and his daughter and son-in-law to undergo a lie detector test to clear their names in the alleged Daspalla land scam.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the TDP was not against Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy’s relatives investing in the real estate business in Visakhapatnam.
“But we are against their blatant use of the government machinery. Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy has used his political clout to get the land under question de-notified from the 22A list,” the TDP leaders alleged.
“There are more than 1,600 cases awaiting deletion from the 22A list with the court direction. What has the district administration done so far? There are many who have invested their small savings in properties and awaiting clearance from the 22A section. Leaving all these cases aside, the district administration has been forced to de-notify the Daspalla lands to benefit a real estate project being funded by Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy’s kin,” alleged Mr. Srinivasa Rao.
Probe sought by sitting judge
“The title of the land under question needs to be verified and probed by a sitting judge as the land is under Urban Land Ceiling (ULC),” he added.
“It is true that the Supreme Court has given a judgment in favour of the private party. But there are ways of claiming the land back if the government is really keen on it,” he said.
‘Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy is talking of respecting the court judgment. He should recall what had happened in 2017. The YSRCP had launched a campaign then under the banner, ‘Save Visakha’, alleging that the TDP leaders usurped the Daspalla lands. The Supreme Court had given its verdict by then,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.
“We demand an inquiry by a sitting judge into the activities of Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy, Daspalla lands, status of 22A files, Rushikonda Hill, Bhogapuram airport land,” said Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy.
North Andhra development
Criticising the YSRCP leaders for alleging that former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had done nothing for the development of north Andhra, Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said they should get their facts right.
Quoting a Chief Engineer from a key department, Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said, “The official recently said that Mr. Naidu had spent over ₹1,500 crore on the irrigation projects in Uttarandhra during 2014-19, which directly benefited over 65,000 acres of agriculture lands. But, in the last three years, the YSRCP government had spent only ₹400 crore.”
“Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana is harping about projects launched by former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He should realise that YSR belonged to the Congress party,: said Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy.
Referring to Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy’s plan to launch a TV channel and newspaper, the TDP leaders expressed doubts whether it was a plan to start his own party against the YSRCP.
“The channel and newspaper can be detrimental to the channel and newspaper being run by Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family,” Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy quipped.
Taking exception to Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy’s statement that he was favouring the caste to which Mr. Naidu belonged, Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy said, “The cultural fabric of Vizag is different. Here, we welcome all people. It is from Vizag that Congress leader T. Subbirami Reddy had started his political career. Driving a wedge between castes and communities will not work here,” he said.
On October 15, the TDP would organise a meeting to highlight the development ushered in by the party in north Andhra during its term. Leaders from the three district would participate. The meeting coincides with the Visakha Garjana being planned by the Uttarandhra JAC.
Published - October 12, 2022 07:31 pm IST
