Even as the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh is going a little cautiously on the state high court judgement upholding Amaravati as the only capital of the state, the ruling YSR Congress party leaders continue to view it only as a real estate project.
Ever since the high court delivered its judgement on March 3, the YSRC leaders have been trying to defend their stand that Amaravati is not a people’s capital, but a real estate venture promoted by Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
“Naidu has chosen Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh only to suit his own real estate agenda,” senior minister Botsa Satyanarayana said.
Another minister Vellampalli Srinivas said the TDP’s demand for Amaravati as the capital city has no public support.
“The so-called protestors who are demanding for Amaravati capital city are not farmers. They arrive in their fancy luxury cars from Kukatpally. They are fighting for their real estate interests,” he said.
On Thursday, YSRCP MLA Undavalli Sridevi, who represents Tadikonda that covers part of Amaravati capital region, went a step ahead and gave a new name for APCRDA.
“It is not AP Capital Region Development Authority, but AP Chandrababu Real Estate Development Authority,” she said.
She alleged that just for the sake of real estate activity, Naidu was instigating the people of Amaravati to abuse the ruling YSRC.
She alleged that the previous TDP government had grabbed thousands of acres from local farmers by threatening them in the name of capital city for developing a real estate venture.
Sridevi said the capital city was planned in the costly lands of the farmers.
“It should have been developed in the government lands. The previous government had done injustice to the Dalit farmers by paying them lesser rate for assigned lands, while paying more for the private lands,” she alleged.
