Rajahmundry:People from various quarters are vehemently opposing the unilateral manner in which the TDP is trying to impose its views on the city known as the Cultural Capital of the State. Not only this, traders, educated and even the leaders within the TDP (though fearing not to speak in open) are not happy with the ruling party’s film actor turned MP Muralimohan, and Rural MLA G Buchaiah Chowdary.
The bone of contentions was that the while the MP has been trying to make the city a Memorable of Film Industry, from he comes from. Sidelining the Rajahmundry’s BJP Urban MLA Akula Satyanarayana, the ruling party’s rural MLA and MP have been trying to make the city a Film Fare, they allege.
“The city has not got anything except Ghats and statues. Not a single development project, or any other initiative has been launched in the city,” voiced the members of local Chamber of Commerce. Also, they pointed fingers at the State government for focussing only on Amravati and neglecting the other parts in the state. Though, the twin Godavari district has contributed more seats to the TDP and helped in coming to power, except IIIT in Tadepalligudem, there is no other development project that has come so far was the complaint against the state government.
In addition to this, the MP and Rural MLA were seen hand in glove and implementing projects of their own interest. The fist opposition has come when the ruling party had proposed to install the statue of former chief minister N T Ramarao in the famous Pushkar Ghat in the city. “Unlike others, the Ghat is associated with the sentiments of the people of the city, for religious reasons, as well as it was the only place where people liked to go and sit, to watch the sun rise and sun set there,” admits a local city leader of the TDP. The move was opposed even buy the Rajahmundry Urban. What irked people more was the ruling party’s deliberate move to install the statue of a film personality at the time of Godavari Pushkarams. “The NTR statue had been transported in the middle of the night into the Ghat and it was installed. From that time, there was heavy police presence virtually cordoning off the Ghat. And, the next day, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has come and inaugurated the same,” clarified an official.
This move was a deliberate attempt refusing to accept the popular opinion of the people of the city by the ruling party Rural MLA and the city MP.
Next to this, one after another on the entire stretch of Godavari bund started installing the statues of film actors like Sobhan Babu, S V Ranga Rao and the like. And, many more such installations were in pipeline, the people feel. “No one known knows what is happening about the proposed Petroleum University in Rajahmundry. But, now we came to know that the ruling party MP has been batting for setting up National School of Drama (NSD) in the city,” they argue.
In sum, Muralimohan who was initially not seen for a long period after getting elected as MP from the city, however, had played an active role during Godavari Pushkarams. But, people in the city now increasingly view the film actor turned politician having no regard to the city’s cultural heritage, or will he bothers to listen to the people. If he continues his unilateral and undemocratic ways, then, it would be a tough task for the TDP to woo the city that decides the fate of candidates in MP elections voices leaders from the alliance partner BJP.
