VISAKHAPATNAM: The Jana Sena has defended its decision to invite other parties for a long march called by it in Visakhapatnam on November 3. Speaking to media persons here on Friday, Jana Sena political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar said the decision was taken following a representation made by construction workers to Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan urging him to take up the issue on the lines of his campaign against uranium mining in Nallamala forest.“As there are no elections in near future, the party will neither gain mileage nor there is any intent to garner votes,” Manohar said.
He said when the YSRC government had announced its new sand policy, everyone expected that it will be better and foolproof. “However, the government failed to check sand mafia and illegal transportation of sand. Besides, owing to sand scarcity, about 30 to 35 lakh construction workers lost their jobs and they are facing severe hardship,” he said and added that seven workers committed suicide.
He said the long march was aimed at mounting pressure on the State government to come up with an immediate solution to solve problems of construction workers. “Owing to sand scarcity, construction activities have come to a grinding halt and about 120 sectors related to construction are now in doldrums,” he observed. Jana Sena leader K Naga Babu said the party had never thought of launching an agitation so soon against a government, which won a massive mandate in the elections. He said Jagan Mohan Reddy, who conducted ‘Odarpu yatra’ to reach out to families of suicide victims, was not responding now.