VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan has threatened to launch an agitation in the State with farmers on the lines of Maharashtra farmers’ rally against the indiscriminate acquisition of agricultural land for the development of capital Amaravati.
Participating in a session on the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 in the city on Saturday, Pawan Kalyan recalled that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in 2014 promised to construct the capital of State in 1,850 acres of forest land without troubling farmers and causing any harm to environment. But after coming to power in the State, Naidu had issued a notification for pooling huge chunks of fertile agricultural land for the construction of capital Amaravati. He questioned what would the Chief Minister do by acquiring lakhs of acres of land from farmers, disturbing the fragile ecology.
“Why the government is resorting to eco destruction in the name of capital construction. If the TDP government goes ahead with its plan of forcible land acquisition for the development of capital Amaravati, a massive demonstration will be staged in front of the Chief Minister’s residence with farmers across the State and the capital construction will be thwarted, Pawan Kalyan said. Even though, small and marginal farmers in the State are facing severe injustice, no one is championing their cause. The Jana Sena with the support of Left parties, will agitate over farmer issues pertaining to land acquisition for various development projects like Vamsadhara, Sompeta thermal power plant and Anantapur solar power project, he said.
Alleging that Naidu was committing mistakes, the Jana Sena chief said that the CM was not a monarch to go ahead with his unilateral decisions. He reminded the TDP chief that people give him mandate only for five years. “We will not allow you to do whatever you want ignoring people’s interests,” he said.
He also expressed his concern over the high pollution levels in Godavari river. He accused Narasapuram MP Gokaraju Ganga Raju of remaining a mute spectator on the issue of Godavari river pollution.
Former Supreme Court Judge Gopala Gowda, former Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao, former minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna, CPM State secretary P Madhu, former IAS officer MG Devasahayam, Prof Amitabh Kundu, Ekta Parishad chairman PV Rajagopal, Rythu Coolila Hakkula Parirakshana Samithi leader Anumolu Gandhi and others also spoke.