YSR Congress party leaders on Tuesday announced the launch of a massive public movement against a massive land grab allegedly by Telugu Desam Party MP from Visakhapatnam and chairman of GITAM University Mathukumilli Sri Bharat, who happens to be a close relative of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Bharat is accused of encroaching upon 54.79 acres of prime government land in favour of GITAM University, owned by the MP, who is the younger son-in-law of TDP MLA and actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, who happens to be brother-in-law of Naidu and father-in-law of Nara Lokesh.
Speaking to reporters, former minister and leader of opposition in state legislative council Botsa Satyanarayana, along with former ministers Kurusala Kannababu and Gudivada Amarnath and district leaders, said the coalition government was attempting to pass the regularisation proposal in the GVMC Council on January 30 for land valued at over Rs 5,000 crore.
Botsa condemned the move as a brazen misuse of power and questioned how public property could be handed to a ruling family institution.
He announced that YSRCP would oppose the proposal in the council, meet the GVMC Commissioner demanding its withdrawal, inspect the occupied lands, and hold a mass protest on January 30 near Gandhi’s statue, along with opposition parties, public organisations and intellectuals.
He also demanded a clear stand from coalition partners, including deputy CM Pawan Kalyan.
Gudivada Amarnath said GITAM had already secured regularisation of about 72 acres earlier and was now seeking to legitimise another 54.79 acres, putting the alleged land grab at nearly Rs 10,000 crore.
He demanded a CBI probe and registration of a Land Grabbing Act case against MP Bharat, alleging that land allotted at throwaway prices under the coalition could total Rs 25,000–30,000 crore.
K K Raju accused the government of gifting public lands for as little as Re.1 or 99 paise per acre while evicting street vendors.
Kannababu warned that the agitation would be taken to Parliament and Delhi if the proposal was not withdrawn.
The leaders stressed that this was not a political issue but a fight to protect public assets, and declared that YSRCP would build a sustained people’s movement until the decision was reversed.
