VIJAYAWADA: YSRC general secretary and Government Advisor (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Thursday said the State government would challenge the High Court stay order on the construction of houses for the poor in the R5 Zone of the capital region, in the Supreme Court. Sajjala, however, described the ongoing Amaravati issue as a fight between two classes. “While Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is on the side of the poor, TDP and its chief N Chandrababu Naidu are taking the side of rich and capitalists,’’ he observed.
Sajjala said though 30,000 farmers had given their lands for the construction of the capital Amaravati, it is not a real estate venture that they can have a say after giving away their lands.
“One can question if we are not developing the basic infrastructure in the region or we are setting up a chemical factory, which may lead to a situation like the Bhopal gas tragedy. How can one question as to how outsiders be given houses in Amaravati? Outsiders are coming and studying in the institutions that came up in Amaravati. Are the local farmers alone, who are studying in these institutions?’’ he wondered.
A majority of people, who were given house site pattas in Amaravati, are from the capital region itself. “It is the YSRC government, which has in fact started developing connectivity to the capital region,” he pointed out.
The YSRC leader maintained that they are not against Amaravati. “The development model proposed by Naidu is not right. We are thinking about more benefits and better facilities for farmers,’’ he asserted. Sajjala said house sites were given to SCs, STs, BCs and minorities in the capital region and wondered how a political party could oppose it.
“We wonder if TDP and Naidu have distanced themselves from the poor. Can a party survive without having the support of these sections?’’ he questioned. Sajjala said it would be foolish to claim victory over the High Court's stay on the construction of houses.
On the success of Jagananna Suraksha, Sajjala said they had created a history with the one-of-its-kind programme and it has set a new benchmark for citizen-centric governance. “We are overwhelmed with the outcome and public appreciation and the Chief Minister is planning to conduct the programme biannually,” he revealed.