With the Visakhapatnam land scam turning into a big controversy and TDP leaders led by two powerful Ministers indulging in a proxy war, YSR Congress Party, the main Opposition in the State, has decided to take advantage of it by organising a maha dharna in the city on June 22 to press for a CBI probe.
After terming the announcement of Special Investigation Team (SIT) by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu as an eyewash, the YSRCP declared that it would take the issue to the people to expose the involvement of Mr. Naidu, his Minister-son Lokesh, HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and others in tampering with revenue records.
Day-long protest
YSR Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will participate in the maha dharna. Party district president Gudivada Amarnath met Commissioner of Police T. Yoganand on Friday and sought permission for the day-long protest. The CP asked him to explore holding it near the GVMC Gandhi statue due to space constraint at the Collectorate.
“We are expecting the permission in a day or two. Leaders and cadre from the Left parties and the Lok Satta will be invited to participate as they have been siding with us in taking cudgels against the corrupt practices followed by the TDP government,” Mr. Amarnath told reporters here on Saturday.
He said Mr. Srinivasa Rao and his arch-rival R&B Minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu had traded charges against each other. He said Mr. Srinivasa Rao, who allegedly bought land from farmers at a throwaway price expecting the VUDA to launch Land Pooling Scheme in Pendurthy mandal, had himself sought CBI probe.
Contradictory statements
Saying the leaders of the TDP-BJP coalition were making contradictory statements, he said even BJP floor leader and Visakha North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju had sought CBI probe. He questioned how the TDP could get a huge parcel of land at Daspalla Hills, where revenue records of land had been tampered with to favour private individuals.
A letter was released to the media recently in the name of Mr. Srinivasa Rao without his signature seeking a CBI probe to put at rest all sorts of allegations on land grabbing and tampering with the revenue records to benefit some influential people.
