SR Congress chief and Leader of Opposition Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday said that he would launch a legal battle against the way in which the State government had acquired land for the new capital at Amaravati.
Mr. Reddy also made it clear that his party would take a legal recourse against the government to stop the construction of the new capital city, alleging that that the government had acquired fertile land despite vehement opposition by the locals against the move.
Mr. Reddy visited the sugarcane field which was allegedly set ablaze by miscreants at Malkapuram village recently and inquired with the land owner Ch. Chandra Sekhar about the accused involved in the offence.
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Expressing his solidarity to Mr. Chandra Sekhar, Mr. Reddy alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was instigating his aides to threaten the farmers who had denied to part with their land for the capital. “The Chief Minister is acting without considering humanitarian grounds while gathering land for capital,” said Mr. Reddy. He also reminded the government that nobody had the right to acquire the land without consent by the land owner.
Interacting with the farmers and villagers of Uddandarayunipalem, the village where foundation for the capital city was laid, Mr. Jagan promised that he would return the land to the respective owners, if he voted to power. “The YSRC, if voted to power, will bring a new law to protect the assigned land. Now, legal battle is the only option for those who had lost their land and livelihood to the new capital,” said Mr. Reddy.