Naidu-KE Cold War Comes to the Fore

CM takes a dig at his deputy for corruption in revenue dept

VIJAYAWADA:The ongoing cold war between AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy KE Krishnamurthy on Friday came to the fore, with Naidu taking an indirect dig at his senior colleague for failing to control corruption in the revenue department.

Two days after stalling the orders of deputy chief minister Krishnamurthy, who holds the revenue portfolio, with regard to transfer of 22 deputy collectors in the State, Naidu on Friday not only expressed his displeasure over growing corruption in the revenue department, but also warned that stern action would be taken if corruption is not rooted out in the department in the coming days.

The admonition, although indirect, that came during the collectors’ conference in Vijayawada on Friday, indicated that the rift between the two is widening further.

Almost creating uncomfortable moments for his deputy, who was sitting by his side during the meet, Naidu repeatedly referred to growing corruption in the revenue department. He even remarked that there was double digit growth in corruption instead of development in the revenue department.

However, this would no longer be entertained and reforms are in place to change the public perception of the department. Surveys were being done to know the public perception of the department and also analyse the department’s performance periodically, he said.

Political observers say Naidu’s comments only show all is not well between him and his deputy, though both seem to be refraining from coming out openly against each other.

Krishnamurthy, for sometime, has been expressing his displeasure over the functioning of Chandrababu Naidu and sidelining seniors like him in making key decisions.

The senior politico from Rayalaseema has reportedly not been happy with other ministers (Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana and Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao) encroaching into his domain with regard to land pooling and land acquisition, which are revenue subjects.

Meanwhile, at the conference, Naidu said all the land records were being digitised in the state like never before.

According to him, 7 to 8 lakh objections had been received so far over digitised land records put on the web and an effort has been made through ‘Mee Intiki Mee Bhoomi’ initiative to correct the mistakes in the records. “The second phase of the initiative will commence on November 1. VRO, MROs, sub-ollectors and joint collectors will be held responsible for any mistakes in the records and if they are not rectified, stern action will be initiated,” he warned.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com