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Cashing in on Andhra capital controversy!

Cashing in on Andhra capital controversy!

It is quite natural that media always looks for controversial issues and sensational developments to attract the readers. Even if there is no big news, they tend to create sensation out of nothing to sustain their readership.

Take for instance, the rape and murder of a veterinary doctor (named by the police as Disha) at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad in the last week of November, followed by the arrest of the four accused and their killing in an alleged police encounter had become the big news for the media. 

For at least two weeks, the media cashed in on the unfortunate developments – whether it was the rape and death of Disha or the killing of the four accused. Anything that is related to sex and crime sells in the media.

Similarly, for the national media, it is the controversy over Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens that has been providing the much-needed fodder.

Even the Telugu media has been giving a lot of coverage on the front pages, though the protests and agitations have not been on a big scale in the Telugu states.

Now, the latest sensational news that has been hogging the headlines in the Telugu media for the last one week is the proposal of the YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to create three capitals for the state.

Setting aside the pros and cons of the proposal, which is yet to get the cabinet nod, the Telugu media has got something sensation that would help sell their product. Since it is the government’s policy decision, YSR Congress party’s mouthpiece Sakshi has not been discussing much about it, except the positive statements from the party leaders and others speaking in favour of Jagan’s decision.

However, anti-establishment papers like Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy have been giving huge coverage to the protests from the farmers of Amaravati who are naturally worried about the fate of their lands which they had surrendered hoping to get a big capital.

So, for the fifth consecutive day on Monday, the issue has been the banner story of Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy. Since writing about the agitations would be monotonous, Andhra Jyothy is choosing a different angle for the story every day. 

On Monday, it focussed on the apprehensions among the IAS and IPS officers who had bought plots in the Amaravati region, about the fate of their properties. Most of them got their lands registered in February this year.

Similarly, the news report also highlighted the worries of the middleclass employees who also bought their houses and flats in the capital region and have been paying EMIs to the banks. It is an interesting story and the government will surely find a solution to their problems.

Otherwise, the nation-wide protests against CAA and NRC and an interesting statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that there was no discussion on extending NRC to all parts of the country have been the lead stories in Eenadu and Sakshi and the second lead story in Andhra Jyothy.

The YSRC government’s advertisement on the inauguration of Kadapa Steel Plant by the chief minister has occupied the bottom half of the front pages of Eenadu and Sakshi. Though Andhra Jyothy did not get the advertisement as usual, it carried a small story on the same in the front page. Sakshi also carried a separate story as its second lead.

Setting up of separate corporation for crop insurance scheme and proposed issuance of notifications for recruitment of teachers have also found their space in the front pages of the leading Telugu dailies.

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Tags: Andhra Pradesh News Scan