Alliance govt using laddu row as a political weapon says Botcha Satyanarayana

Visakhapatnam : Demanding investigation into the TTD laddu row by a third party, YSRCP MLC Botcha Satyanarayana alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is not seeking a CBI inquiry as he is raking it up to gain political advantage.

Expressing his concern over the alliance government’s ‘diversion game’ at a media conference here on Saturday, the MLC wondered whether it is appropriate to politicise TTD laddu to meet Naidu’s political motive.

About the former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s scheduled visit to Tirumala and the temple darshan, Satyanarayana reasoned that Jagan called it off, keeping the larger interest of people in view and to avoid any inconvenience to the general public.

“By issuing a notice, the police created hurdles for Jagan Mohan Reddy while he planned a trip to Tirumala. It is apparent that the BJP has teamed up with the TDP in this regard. Also, the saffron party tried to stop the former Chief Minister from proceeding to Tirumala by involving the party cadre from various parts of the country, staging protests,” the MLC expressed concern.

Instead of turning attention towards the plight of 4,000 contract workers who were abruptly removed from work in Visakhapatnam steel plant, the YSRCP MLC pointed out that the state government is deliberately diverting the core issues by blowing the laddu row out of proportion.

After the formation of the alliance government, Andhra Pradesh has mired into debts to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore. However, the common man continues to be deprived of food as inflation hits the roof, the MLC said.

Earlier, YSRCP leaders performed puja at TTD Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Rushikonda. Even after crossing its 100-day mark, they criticised that the government failed to keep the promises made.

“At a time when people were realising mistakes committed by the government, the laddu issue has been brought to the fore so that the CM would get away with his failures. It is not new for Naidu to politicise TTD to meet his political needs. The responsibility of exposing the facts of incorporating adulterated ghee in a transparent manner rests on the state government,” former IT minister Gudivada Amarnath demanded, adding that people have no faith in the committees formed by the state government to probe into the laddu row.

No matter how many challenges Jagan Mohan Reddy has to face, no one can stop him from visiting Tirumala for a darshan, Amarnath claimed.