VIJAYAWADA: The YSRC MPs once again raised the Amaravati land ‘scam’ and the High Court gag order to the media in both the Houses of Parliament on Saturday. Stating that Amaravati insider trading case calls for a free and fair investigation, they demanded that the Centre order a CBI probe into the alleged scam.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, YSRC MP from Narasaraopet Lavu Krishna Devarayulu said the YSRC always stood by the farmers and that they will continue to do so in the case of Amaravati farmers, who gave their land for the capital construction.
“Amaravati insider trading case calls for a free and fair investigation. The High Court order has stopped the investigation into the land scam and prohibited the media from publishing the details of the FIR, which named a former advocate general of Andhra Pradesh and some other influential persons,’’ he said. He added that instead of protecting the interests of Amaravati farmers, the High Court, it looks, is favouring the mighty and powerful.
“In future, there is a possibility of governments using this High Court order as a precedent to stop inquiries into corruption cases. Our Constitution ensures equality before law for everyone — from the common man to the former advocate general. Once the stay is vacated, I request the Central government to understand the gravity of the case and hand it over to the CBI so that justice can be delivered,’’ he said. In the Rajya Sabha, YSRC MPs Pilli Subash Chandra Bose and Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao urged the Centre to hand over the Amaravati ‘land scam’ to the CBI.
Alleging that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu had given lands to the rich in Amaravati, they said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to give house sites to the poor in the capital. Unfortunately, the courts thwarted the attempt, they said. Meanwhile, TDP MP from Guntur Galla Jayadev said in the Lok Sabha that the recent affidavit filed by the Union Home Ministry in the AP High Court, informing that the Centre has no role in deciding the location of the State capital, has left Amaravati farmers and the citizens of Andhra Pradesh in a rude shock and feeling of abandonment.
“The confusion arose as the subject of capital has not been listed either in the Union List, State List, or Concurrent List. The Article 248 (1) of the Constitution, which deals with Residuary Powers of Legislation, says that Parliament has exclusive power to make any law with respect to any matter not enumerated in the Concurrent List or State List.
Parliament can bring a law to include the issue of Capital in the Union List, and put an end to this issue once and for all. If not, the move by the AP government will create a precedence for the other States to follow and the Centre will be unable to intervene in such decisions in the future. It will open a Pandora’s box,’’ he said, during the Zero Hour. Jayadev asserted that the need for a capital arose after Parliament passed the AP Reorganisation Act. “The Centre has also given Rs 1,500 crore for the development of Amaravati. In all, Rs 41,000 crore worth of projects have been grounded and they are in various stages of completion,’’ he added.
MP seeks Rs 450 cr as grant for harbours
YSRC Rajya Sabha MP Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao on Saturday appealed to the Centre to sanction the Rs 450 crore for the three fishing harbours in AP (Nizampatnam Phase - 11, Machilipatnam Phase 11 and Uppada Fishing Harbour) as grant instead of Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund loan. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, he said the Centre sanctioned Rs 150 crore as loan.