Expectedly, the Telugu Desam Party leaders have raised a lot of hue and cry over the notice served on their boss and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu by state CID police in connection with the alleged Amaravati land scam.
TDP state president K Atchannaidu wondered how the CID could file a case against Naidu under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint given by Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy on February 24.
“Has any former CM in the country ever been prosecuted under the SC and ST Atrocities Act in the country? Does the Mangalagiri MLA belong to SC or ST castes? How can a case be registered under the SC/ST Act based on his complaint? It is nothing but blatant misuse of the act,” Atchannaidu said.
Stating that it was a clear case of political witch-hunt, the TDP leader said the assigned lands had been acquired for the capital only under land pooling scheme only after taking the consent from the farmers.
“The Jagan government, too, acquired assigned lands for the house sites distribution scheme and also for solar power companies. Even during the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy regime, the assigned lands transfer act was amended for acquiring lands for public purposes,” the TDP leader said.
According to the FIR, some Dalit farmers of Mangalagiri constituency represented to the MLA that some influenced persons of the then government had cheated them by taking away their lands illegally.
The farmers alleged that some middlemen had created a fear of insecurity stating that the government might take away their assigned lands without giving any compensation.
Reddy alleged that several irregularities were committed in acquiring assigned lands, thereby causing irreparable loss to the people belonging to SC and ST farmers.
The CID authorities led by deputy superintendent of police S Surya Bhaskar Rao conducted a preliminary inquiry before registering the FIR on March 12 stating that there was a cognizable offence in the land acquisition.
A case was filed in the VI junior civil judge court, Guntur, for investigation.
