Andhra Pradesh Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said there were no irregularities in the land purchases and land transactions in Amaravati Capital region. Three days after Sakshi, the paper owned by opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy, published stories about the large scale purchase of lands by TDP MPs, ministers, MLA as well CM’s son Nara Lokesh, CM had to plunge into action to clarify the doubts generated in the minds of the people of the state, especially the farmers in the capital Amaravati region.
The chief minister addressed the press conference Sunday midday ,in the backdrop of intensified campaign by the opposition YSR Party, to clarify the position of land transactions that took place in the capital region. The chief minister denied the reported land purchases by Nara Lokesh, Vemuri Ravikumar, Sujana Chowdary, Ministers Pratipati Pullarao, Ravela Kishore Babu, Devineni Uma , MLA Payyavula Keshav etc. Talking about the charge that Lokesh’s alleged purchase of Haailand property belonging to Agrigold, the CM said this doesn’t arise as the lands were attached by the CID.
All the media reports of about TDP leaders’ purchasing lands with prior knowledge about the location of capital were fabricated, he declared. He alleged that this was part of opposition leader’s grand conspiracy to stall the capital. Stating that the false reports about the land purchases in insider trading had created panic among the farmers, the CM asked the opposition party to stop attempts to stall the capital and not to damage the Amaravati Brand Image.
About Vemuri Ravikumar, he said, the NRI had bought lands for himself and on his wife’s name. ” How do you link it to Nara Lokesh.”
With regard to 196 ac land purchased by agriculture minister Pratipati Pullarao, and 3210 acres by Mmnicipal minister P Narayana, the CM recalled the statements of the ministers that they were ready to register all the lands to the person who proves that they had purchased lands.
Clarifying on charge that he was living in Lingamaneni Ramesh’s illegal villa, he said Lingmaneni Estate was not a private property. ” It is government property. Since it is a government asset I am living there as I needed a place to live in. It will be taken over by government either in land-pooling or land acquisition,” he said.
” This campaign is a heinous conspiracy. Farmers are happy: they are buying lands, clearing their old debts and constructing the new houses, with the money they are getting for their lands from the government. You are creating hurdles at every step. Your fabricated reports have created doubts in minds of the farmers,” he said. Turning the tables on Jagan, he said the opposition leader’s father was the real land grabber.
“What happened in Idupulapaya. about 600 ac government and forest land had been grabbed. When the Opposition raised the issue, They gave it back after bringing a legislation, when YSR was chief minister,” the CM said.
Denying that land had been purchased with the advance information about the capital, the CM asserted that If anybody comes forward to complain that they were forced to sell off their lands , the government would provide protection and restore it to them.
