Jagan decides to skip Amravati foundation stone ceremony

YSR Congress Party president and Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly Ys Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to stay away from the foundation stone laying ceremony for the State's new capital of Amaravati. 

In an open letter to Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, he said he would not be a party to the ceremony that is a result of oppression of the rural masses and snatching away of their sole source of livelihood. In his letter, Jagan said that he and his party have been opposing tooth and nail taking way fertile lands in the name of land-pooling and have organized agitations time and again. Yet, the government has not mended its ways.  “If everything is hunky dory and the people are happy, why is Section 30 and Section 144 being enforced in the capital area for well over the past one year,” he pointed out. He said he has decided not to attend the ceremony as the Government had blatantly contravened the public agony and the verdict of the green tribunal. He slammed the occupation mentality of the government.

Jagan also questioned the gifting away of precious lands taken in the name of land-pooling to the firms coming from Singapore. He said he would not be a party to the massive scam.  “When the Centre is giving money for the capital city and when it has already sanctioned Rs 1850 crore, where is the need to rope in private foreign companies?" he asked. He also took strong exception to spending over Rs 400 crore public money in the name of stone laying, which is hardly a day’s affair.