VIJAYAWADA: Terming the Maha Padayatra a drama, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday said the walkathon was being taken out “to fuel regional passions and instigate people of the State to fight among themselves.”
Jagan was speaking on day one of the Assembly session on Thursday as part of the discussion on ‘Decentralisation of Administrative Reforms’. Farmers of Amaravati commenced the Maha Padayatra from Amaravati to Arasavalli in Srikakulam, under the aegis of Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi, demanding Amaravati be made the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh.
“Why is the yatra from Amaravati going to Uttarandhra? To worship the Gods there (in Uttarandhra) to develop Amaravati? Will people of Uttarandhra remain silent when the yatra passes through their region? Don’t they have any sentiments” Jagan questioned.
Alleging that Opposition leader and TDP Supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was behind the yatra, Jagan said, “The TDP chief knows very well that his party will be routed and that he is even going to lose in Kuppam. Now, he (Naidu) wants to instigate regional passions.” “The yatra is only to safeguard the interests of capitalists,” Jagan claimed.Pushing for three capitals, Jagan said decentralization is the only way for all round development of the State.
Welfare of few sections was Naidu’s priority, says CM Jagan
“From setting up village and ward secretariats, to carving out 13 more districts, we all have seen the wonders of decentralization. It is only through an effective welfare delivery mechanism that we can offer best services to the people,” he reasoned. Recalling that the River Godavari recorded one of the highest floodwater level recently in twin Godavari districts, Jagan pointed out that through decentralisation, it was possible for six collectors and six superintendents of police, and 30,000 secretariat staff and volunteers could take up relief measures in the erstwhile twin Godavari districts. While clarifying that he does not have hatred for any particular region, Jagan clarified that his government will develop Amaravati, too, as one of the capitals, besides Visakhapatnam and Kurnool.
Jagan further said building Amaravati as the capital city would be like ‘dream-chasing’ as it would take at least 100 years and involve an expenditure of `30 lakh crore. “On the other hand, Visakhapatnam can be developed as the executive capital with `10,000 crore, which is less than 10 per cent of the estimated expenditure on Amaravati, as the city already has infrastructural facilities,” he asserted.
Lambasting at the TDP during his 75-minute address in the House, Jagan said, “There is not much difference between the State budget of the previous and the current government, then why did the TDP government not launch programmes like Amma Vodi, YSR Asara, Cheyutha, Rythu Bharosa and give `1.65 lakh crore direct benefit transfer under various schemes? While welfare of the weaker sections is our priority, the welfare of only a few sections of society is Naidu’s priority.”