As the farmers of 29 villages falling under Amaravati capital region stepped up their agitation with the active support of Telugu Desam Party led by N Chandrababu Naidu, the YSR Congress party has decided to go all out to against the opposition party.
The ruling party sought to expose the “real estate scam” indulged in by Naidu and his party leaders and relatives in the capital region through “insider trading” and also largescale purchase of lands from the farmers of Amaravati.
Obviously, the YSRC wants to establish that the ongoing fight by the so-called farmers is being spearheaded by Naidu and his team only to protect their lands bought through insider trading.
YSRC legislators Ambati Rambabu and T Prakash Reddy gave a power point presentation to the media how the TDP leaders resorted to insider trading and purchased huge chunk of land between June and December 2014, after they got the leak from the Naidu government on the declaration of capital at Amaravati.
The issue has naturally become a banner story for the media houses on Friday.
While Sakshi dedicated a full-page for this insider trading scam in the inside pages, Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy carried it on the front page, along with a strong rebuttal by the TDP leaders Bonda Uma and Jawahar, who demanded an inquiry by sitting high court judge into the allegations.
Andhra Jyothy also carried an interview with Prasad Panda, a Telugu-born Canadian citizen and a minister in the cabinet of Alberta province in Canada on the capital shift in Andhra Pradesh. One does not know how he is relevant to the present issue, but it appears Andhra Jyothy is planning to do interviews with prominent Telugu people across the world on the developments in AP with regard to the capital.
Both the anti-establishment papers also carried the reports of “Sakala Janula Samme” (all people’s strike) by Amaravati residents from Friday.
Meanwhile, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s call to the officers of Anti-Corruption Bureau, expressing dissatisfaction over the performance of the organisation also figured prominently in the front pages of leading dailies. Eenadu and Sakshi made it their second lead story with the same headline: “Lancham teesukovalante bhayapadaali (One should be scared of taking bribe).
As usual, Sakshi carried the banner story in tune with the half page advertisement below on “YSR Arogya Sri” to be launched by Jagan at Eluru on Friday. Though Eenadu, too, got the advertisement, it deliberately ignored the news. Andhra Jyothy will any way does not get the advertisement and hence, hasn’t covered the news.
Andhra Jyothy also carried two stories – one is about the possible shifting of administrative capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam by coming Ugadi festival and another one on the financial crisis in the state that might result in lack of resources for Amma Vodi scheme. It says the government might go in for fresh borrowings to fund the scheme.