VIJAYAWADA: Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Botcha Satyanarayana, accused the State government of shying away from looking into the forced resignations of 17 University Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) after evidence was presented.
Botcha took HRD Minister Nara Lokesh to task for daring the opposition to prove coercion, only to eat his words when faced with the facts, calling it a first in independent India. Terming the State government’s intimidation tactics a stain on the education system, he demanded a judicial inquiry.
On the Polavaram Project, the former minister berated the government for reducing its height from 45.72m to 41.15m without justification, jeopardizing power generation, water supply to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, and North Andhra’s drinking water needs. He accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of prioritising contractors over public interest.
He also charged the coalition government with neglecting handloom weavers, dismissing their queries with insults. Botcha urged the government to absorb the Rs 15,000 crore true-up charges, and refuted claims of excessive borrowing by YSRCP dispensation.
Furthermore, he denied YSRCP’s role in the MLC elections and accused the coalition of resorting to rigging to win them.