Minister for Transport Perni Venkataramaiah alias Nani has said that the “Maha Padayatra” of landowners belonging to Thullur and Tadikonda is a farce and most Telugu Desam Party leaders and real estate agents are taking part in it in the guise of farmers.
“The padayatra should be named as ‘papa parihara yatra’, meant to seek redemption from the grave mistakes TDP chief N. Chandrabbau Naidu had done in Amavarati. Mr. Naidu has cheated farmers, grabbed their lands in the name of development and made the entire development a real estate venture. It is comical to see TDP leaders and real estate agents leading the agitation in the guise of land owners,” said Mr. Nani.
The Minister flayed the TDP saying that the leaders had no courage even to hold the party flag. “There is no doubt that Mr. Naidu is the director, screenplay and story writer for the entire padayatra, and this marks the lowest point in his career,” the Minister said.
Mr. Nani alleged that the padaytra was a scheme to convert black money into white, and daily lakhs of rupees were being donated.
The Minister said the padayatra could stoke communal passions as it had been provoking the people of BC, SC and ST communities. “This padayatra has a diabolical aim to polarise the people of the State on the lines of caste. It is shameful that a man who went to court against the decision to provide house sites to those belonging to BC, SC and ST communities saying that it leads to demographic imbalance is talking of Backward Classes, minorities etc,’’ said Mr. Nani.
The Minister took pot shots against some media houses for exaggerating about the yatra and misleading people. The media houses had failed to tell the real story as hundreds of farmers were cheated into giving their lands free and exploited by the real estate brokers, he alleged.
The Minister lashed out at TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh stating that the latter had no standing to criticise the Chief Minister as his father failed to do anything for the betterment of Kuppam constituency.
