VIJAYAWADA: Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said suicides over sand shortage had never happened before in the State.
Addressing party leaders through teleconference explaining the preparations and objectives of November 14th Deeksha in Vijayawada in protest against sand shortage and government’s “negligence”, he accused the Jagan government of creating artificial sand scarcity to make sand an illegal revenue earner for YSRC leaders.
Naidu said only after he announced his November 14 Deeksha that the government marginally improved sand availability and announced Sand Week from November 14.Earlier in the day, the TDP released a “chargesheet” against 67 YSRC leaders including family members, relatives and followers of MLAs and MPs.
Reading out the “chargesheet”, Alapati Rajendraprasad said Botcha Satyanarayana’s conflict with his party MP and the dispute between MP Suresh and MLA V Sridevi were due to the differences on sharing of illegal revenue from sand smuggling. “Sand is not available to common man and is being smuggled out of the State to fill the pockets of YSRC leaders and party cadre,” he alleged.
Senior party leader Kalava Srinivasulu said CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was the main culprit behind the “artificial sand scarcity”, while N Chinarajappa alleged that sand scarcity was created by the government to help the cement companies increase the price.