The NDA government’s move to incorporate Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh in the revised map of India prepared by Survey of India and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement that he would tour the capital area on Thursday has brought the controversy over the Andhra capital back into headlines.
As if to neutralise the impact of these developments, YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting with officials of the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) on Monday and asked them to complete the pending works as quickly as possible on a priority basis.
He also announced development of plots allotted to the farmers who have given their land for the capital city.
He directed that the officials concentrate first on the constructions that are about to be completed and for the same, the government is ready to grant funds. He said that the reverse tendering in the construction works will reduce the amount.
Jagan’s review meeting has become the banner story for Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy.
Both the dailies focussed on his statement that there was no need to take up construction of assembly, secretariat and high court buildings for now, apparently to give an indication that the Jagan government might relocate these structures.
Andhra Jyothy went a step ahead and carried a second lead story on municipal administration minister Botsa Satyanarayana describing Amaravati as a burial ground and asking the TDP president why he was visiting such a place.
Sakshi, however, carried Jagan’s review meeting as a small item, asking the officials to complete the incomplete structures. However, it made the outburst of a section of Amaravati farmers against Naidu as its second lead story.
The controversy over English as a medium of instruction continues to hog the media headlines.
Eenadu carried a big story on the TDP chief expressing doubts whether Jagan and his ministers would find fault with even Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for stressing on mother tongue. It also published a small story on Pawan Kalyan’s comment in this regard.
Andhra Jyothy also carried Naidu’s Kadapa meeting, but downplayed his comment on English, while Sakshi completely ignored it.
Andhra Jyothy and Sakshi gave prominence to Jagan’s call to the people to report to the toll-free number 14400 on any issue of corruption, including irregularities in sand supply. For Sakshi it is a banner story and AJ also carried it as a single column at the top.
The Maharashtra episode in which Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP demonstrating their strength by parading their MLAs has been taken as a flyer in Sakshi and in the other two dailies, it was taken as main story prominently.
Eenadu carried an interesting political story of YSRC MP Raghurama Krishnam Raju going to the BJP office despite the recent controversy over his support to Telugu language and his salutes to PM Modi. Obviously, it was meant to needle the YSRC.
Andhra Jyothy also has its brand of negative story on Polavaram Project Authority refusing to intervene on release of funds by the Centre for the Polavaram project and asking the Jagan government on its plan of action.