Chandrababu Naidu walks for Amaravati, gets bouquets and brickbats

Cautioning people to be on their guard against the policies of the government, Naidu declared that he would take up the capital issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of national part.

VIJAYAWADA: Former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday warned the Jagan government against going back on developing Amaravati as the capital city.

The decision to put the project on the back-burner had thrown the farmers who gave up their lands for the capital city into uncertainty, he said and maintained that the policies of the government were not only detrimental to the interests of the residents of the capital area but also the entire five crore people of the State.

Cautioning the people to be on their guard against the policies of the government, Naidu declared that he would take up the capital issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of national parties.

Naidu toured the capital area amid protests by those opposing the construction of the capital in Amaravati.

Raising slogans against the TDP chief, a group of protestors allegedly YSRC activists tried to stop his convoy at Seed Access Road in Venkatapalem.

Some of them hurled slippers, sticks and stones at the bus carrying Naidu and other leaders causing minor damage to one of the window panes. Police dispersed the protestors and ensured smooth passage of the convoy.

Taking strong objection to the attack on his convoy, Naidu said it was the work of ‘YSRC rowdies’ and the farmers lured by YSRC leaders. He also took a dig at the police for ‘allowing’ the attack on his convoy.

ALSO READ: Amaravati turns battlefield ahead of Chandrababu Naidu’s visit 

A DSP was standing there and did nothing to stop the attack, he alleged.

Displaying a baton that was hurled at his bus, Naidu blamed DGP Gautam Sawang for the attack. “Do rowdies use police batons, too?’’ he wondered.

Earlier, Naidu began his visit by inspecting the bulldozed Praja Vedika near his residence. Praja Vedika was an annex to Naidu’s residence which was used to host government programmes during his regime. 

Soon after coming to power, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government demolished the structure on the grounds that it was constructed illegally on the banks of river Krishna.

Though the convoy gained a smooth passage after the Venkatapalem incident, black flags and banners decrying the tour greeted the TDP leader at several villages in the capital area.  

Showering flowers, villagers of Uddandarayunipalem, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation for Amaravati in October 2015, gave a warm welcome to Naidu.

The TDP chief prostrated himself at the foundation site and kissed the ground before going around the Amaravati Gallery in the village.

Later, he visited the quarters for MLAs, MPs, MLCs, AIS officers, gazetted and non-gazetted officers, the construction of which are either near completion or mid-way.

Later speaking to media at Mandadam, he claimed that he developed Hyderabad, turning it into the most liveable city. He said he had chosen to develop Amaravati as the capital only after the Sivaramakrishnan Committee found that 52 per cent of the population in the State supported the idea. 

Giving the details of the money spent on Amaravati, the former CM said the ruling YSRC was claiming that the development so far was only on paper.

“Today, I am here to show you the kind of development we achieved in Amaravati. Some ministers call this a graveyard.

Does it mean the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues are running the administration from a graveyard? Can’t you see the State Secretariat, Assembly and High Court functioning from the capital area?’’ Naidu sought to know.

On allegations of corruption and insider trading in Amaravati land pooling, the TDP chief retorted, saying that Jagan was the most corrupt leader in the entire country.

“Jagan claims there is corruption (in Amaravati construction) but he has failed to prove it in the past six months.’’

“I will brief Modi and other leaders about what is happening (in Amaravati) and how to rescue or revive these projects. Nobody has the right to destroy the future of coming generations,’’ he said.