Chandrababu Naidu trying to steel the thunder, alleges BJP

Nellore: BJP state general secretary S Suresh Reddy said even as the Centre had deployed MECON Limited for studying the feasibility of the a steel plant at Kadapa, the Chief Minister has been trying to cash in on the issue for political mileage. Addressing the media here on Sunday, Suresh Reddy said the Centre was still positive on the issue and asked the TDP to stop the political melodrama.

“The Chief Minister who came to know that the Centre is positive on steel plant issue, is playing indulging in gimmicks to cash in on the situation tactfully. Adequate funds have been allocated by the Centre for Polavaram project and also for the Central educational institutions. As soon as the Centre announces the steel plant,  the Chief Minister would say that the Centre has come down and sanctioned the plant only due to their pressure, thus hoodwinking the people,” he said. 

The BJP leader reminded that seven mandals from the Telangana state were merged with AP through Polavaram ordinance in 2014 but the TDP had ignored such crucial decisions of the Centre. He said without merger of these mandals, the mega Polavaram project would have been a non-starter even by now. He said the Centre was ready to release Rs. 16,500 crore if the state constitutes a SPV (special purpose vehicle) for utilising the resource.

Suresh Reddy said there has been anti-government wave in Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra as there was no development as promised by the ruling party in its manifesto.  Alleging rampant corruption in the state, he said the BJP would conduct inquiry into various irregularities if it comes to power in state and also called upon the TDP government to seek CBI probe it was really honest.

The BJP leader blamed the TDP for dividing SCs in the name of categorisation and alleged that there had been a number of atrocities on Dalits since the TDP came to power in the state. Charging the ruling party with grabbing assignment lands from the innocent farmers by paying pittance to them, he wondered how the same party can boast of striving for the welfare of the poor and Dalits.

He said there was a huge scam in housing scheme being implemented by the state government where ruling party leaders were allegedly getting kickbacks of more than Rs. 600 crore. He said Dalita Tejam was a failure where party workers and others were shifted from various parts of the state by engaging more than 500 RTC buses. 

Suresh Reddy said BJP state president Kanna Lakshminarayana would visit the district on July 3 and 4 for which arrangements had been made. Party district vice-president M Ramesh, senior leader G Lakshminarayana and others were present.