The probable entry of Enforcement Directorate in the investigation into alleged insider trading of lands in Amaravati, wherein several big people had bought lands in their benami names has created a sensation in political and media circles.
For the media, it is definitely a big news as the Enforcement Directorate will take up the case seriously and will not leave it till it goes to a logical end, unlike the state investigation agencies which conduct the probe according to the directions of the party in power.
However, there is no official confirmation yet as to whether or not the ED has begun the investigation into the alleged insider trading in Amaravati so far. Generally, there will be an official statement from the ED in such high-profile cases.
The only information that was leaked from the YSR Congress party government was that the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra police had written to the ED seeking investigation into the insider trading.
Yet, Sakshi has played it up as a banner story, stating that ED is going to file a case into the allegations soon and is going to dig into the information based on the report of the cabinet sub-committee.
Andhra Jyothy, being a pro-Telugu Desam Party paper, also carried it as a major story on page-1, but sought it project it as a sort of witch-hunt by the YSRC government.
It said the CID is forcing the ED to launch a probe into the allegations of insider trading. Eenadu ignored the development on page-1, but carried it inside.
Among the other stories, Eenadu carried a flyer on the crippling financial position of the state, especially in the last few months, in an obvious message that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had messed up the finances of the state.
It said the state recorded the lowest growth rate in the last five years, as it recorded a fall in revenue as well as expenditure.
As if endorsing this observation, Eenadu also carried the press conference of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu where he said the state was plunging into neck-deep debts and that the state had neither increased its revenue nor had spent on developmental works.
On the other hand, Andhra Jyothy carried a flyer on alleged removal of over one lakh pensions in Andhra Pradesh, referring to the case study of a 75-year old man Guravaiah of Kadapa district whose pension was discontinued on the pretext that he had already died.
It also carried a lead story on discontinuation of welfare scholarships to students by the Jagan government on the grounds that it was already giving financial assistance their families under Amma Vodi scheme.
Apart from these positive and negative stories, the common story that made it to the headlines in all the three dailies was the Jagan government’s proposal to work out a new project linking Godavari with Krishna basin as an alternative to the Polavaram-Banakacharla link plan already proposed. Apparently, the government wants the link project be completed faster and at cheaper rates.
