Tadepalli: Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the president of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, sharply criticized current Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, stating that he lacks a clear understanding of what a land survey entails. Speaking to the media from the YSRCP headquarters in Tadepalli on Thursday, January 22, Jagan accused Naidu of conducting surveys without the necessary markers, claiming, “Chandrababu is conducting surveys without any stones. He is merely placing a stone wherever it falls and calling it a survey.”
Jagan went on to elaborate on his concerns regarding the state of land documents, specifically passbooks. He asserted that the Naidu government is merely changing the colors of the documents that were originally issued by his administration, stating, “What they are doing is just a cosmetic change. Our intention is to provide tamper-proof passbooks, but the existing ones are riddled with serious errors.” He also alleged that passbooks are being issued in exchange for kickbacks, further complicating the issue.
Expressing disbelief at Naidu’s comments regarding the Land Ceiling Act, Jagan reminded the public of Naidu’s history with land allocations, saying, “It is surprising that Chandrababu is discussing the 22nd Amendment when he has a history of illegally allocating lands.” Jagan highlighted that under his tenure, permanent rights were granted to over 20.24 lakh farmers across 35 lakh 40 thousand acres of land, and rights were also established for farmers on 27.40 lakh acres of unassigned lands.
Additionally, Jagan mentioned the resolution of issues concerning ‘dot lands’ and clarified that rights were conferred to 1.60 lakh individuals on inam lands, as well as to 3.26 lakh acres for 1.54 lakh indigenous people. He pointed out the disparity in the issuance of passbooks, noting that while his administration provided passbooks at a cost of Rs. 55.79, the current government is charging Rs. 76 for the same.
Jagan further criticized Naidu’s administration for expending Rs. 15 crores to remove names from old records, illustrating a lack of understanding of what a survey truly entails. He described the current government’s approach as a dilution of the ultimate goal of land surveys, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in land administration.
In closing, Jagan’s statements underscore a significant political rift in Andhra Pradesh concerning land rights and governance. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how these allegations will impact the upcoming political landscape in the state.
