50 Reasons Why Chandrababu Doesn’t Deserve Another Chance

By Reshmi AR

The people of Andhra Pradesh have been led up the garden path by the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. The state instead of progressing, has regressed and if there is one prominent aspect completely missing, it is development. We asked a couple of average voters from Godavari districts, Vizianagaram, Nellore, Prakasam, Anantapur and Visakhapatnam districts for 50 reasons why Chandrababu Naidu doesn’t deserve another chance and compiled their responses listing out the most prominent ones. A few including corruption on a massive scale in welfare schemes, irrigation projects, Amaravati, sand mining and discrimination based on party loyalties figured prominently in most responses. Read on...

1. He is a leader who built his entire career out of betrayal and backstabbing. To begin with, he deceived his father-in-law who admitted him into the TDP against the advice of many seniors only to be cheated by his treacherous son-in-law

2. His tall claims on developing Hyderabad which run contradictory to reality. The sly manner in which he papers over the underhand deals and corruption related to real estate and land scams during his tenure as chief minister for nine years.

3. Chandrababu’s opportunism as seen in tying up with the BJP in 1999 only to walk out later on the pretext of secularism. His cozying up to the opposition and later jumping on to the Modi bandwagon to fight the 2014 election with Pawan Kalyan in tow. Similarly his alliance with TRS in 2009 which did not make any progress. Subsequently, he abandoned all his former allies and jumped on to the Mahagathbandhan of the Congress. The Telugu Desam founded by NTR as a counter- point to Congress came full circle by becoming a close ally of the Congress in 2018, thanks to Chandrababu.

4. Using the real estate formula employed by him in Hyderabad for Amaravati, Chandrababu and his cronies first pointed to other places as the likely location of the capital of Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation of the state. These included Nuzvid and Nagarjuna University area while he and his proxies quietly bought large tracts of land in and around Amaravati. The new capital city ended up being a massive real estate scam

5. The cruel manner in which Chandrababu acquired more than 33,000 acres of fertile land in and around Vijayawada, on which several crops are grown by farmers each year, remains a blackmark in the history of the state

6. The Swiss challenge method adopted by Chandrababu Naidu for the construction of the capital city is in itself one of the biggest scandals of our time. The kickbacks in contracts related to Amaravati which were given to blacklisted firms , including Transstroy, made the entire capital city construction a sordid affair filled with venality.

7. The humongous scam which Polaravam turned out to be finally described by none other than Prime Minister Modi as ‘an ATM for Chandrababu Naidu’.

8. Corruption of an unprecedented scale in all other irrigation projects including Pattiseema and Handri Neeva.

9. Favouring select cronies and their institutions such as the Narayana group and the allotment of 14 acres of prime land to family owned Heritage Group at throwaway prices in Amaravati. Sujana Chowdary, CM Ramesh and others emerging as major proxy hubs.

10. Turning a blind eye to indiscriminate sand mining of ponds, rivers and lake beds across the state, leading to charges of involvement of the chief minister and his son Nara Lokesh in massive sand and soil mining scams.

11. Subversion of democracy beginning with village level Janmabhoomi committees, by-passing age-old Panchayat system turning these committees into village mafia gangs which decide pensions and all other government benefits contrary to laid down norms.

12. Inability to construct a permanent building in Amaravati over five years and spending wastefully on temporary structures including Secretariat and Legislative Assembly.

13. Massive amounts of tax payers’ money wasted on chartered flights to Singapore, Davos and other parts of the world by Chandrababu at state expense.

14. Chandrababu’s inability to attract investments to the state after making unrealistic claims to the contrary.

15. His lies on employment, when in reality, unemployment stares at the youth of the state.

16. Chandrababu’s failure to deliver on promises made in 2014 including loan waiver of farmers and DWCRA women’s self help groups, among 600 others.

17. The TDP government’s watering down of Arogyasri, 108 and 104 services impacting the lives and health of millions.

18. The complete dilution of fee reimbursement programme in stark contrast to what was in place during the YSR regime.

19. Discrimination in government welfare schemes including pensions to widows and the disabled and implementing them on the basis of political affiliation.

20. Politicization of the bureaucracy and injecting a caste element on an unprecedented scale, vitiating the administration.

21. Turning the police system into a puppet force.

22. Ignoring the atrocities on women and Dalits committed by TDP leaders.

23. A shameful murder attempt on the Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh and the government insensitive and callous handling of the case, will remain a black chapter in the annals of the state and the nation.

24. Brazen horse-trading by the TDP indulging in buying out 23 turncoat MLAs from YSRCP and making four of them Cabinet ministers.

25. Spreading lies and falsehoods in a systematic manner using select media channels and newspapers.

26. Censure by the CAG of the Chandrababu Naidu government’s handling of funds year after year.

27. The disgraceful manner in which Pushkarams were handled involving massive corruption and leading to the death of several pilgrims.

28. Land grabbing across the state involving TDP leaders. Massive land scams in Vizag and the disappearance of land records of thousands of acres attributing it to Hud-hud cyclone.

29. Pervasive corruption in road projects across the state.

30. Massive scam in temple lands in all districts of the state.

31. Gross misuse of authority with regard to TTD and sacking of the head priest Ramana Deekshitulu.

32. Allegations of Tantrik rituals in Kanaka Durgamma temple in Vijayawada and excavation activity in Tirumala temple.

33. Land grabbing of Dalits by TDP leaders.

34. Encroachment of riverbeds.

35. The insensitive and harsh language used against Dalits, Nayee Brahmins and others.

36. Promises made to BCs of merging them into SCs not honoured. Kapus cheated in the name of reservation.

37. Multiple U-turns on special category status. Settling for a package and when forced to the wall, speaking about Special Category Status, pretending to have been its champion all along, only after YSRCP which had been demanding SCS from 2014, intensified its protests.

38. Threatening and implicating YSRCP workers and leaders in cases for demanding SCS to the state.

39. Ignoring the interests of Muslims and trying to reach out to them on the eve of elections.

40. Failing to resolve drinking water supply issues in most districts of AP, including the most fertile region of Godavari.

41. Renominating notorious MLAs like Chintamaneni Prabhakar, Bonda Umameshwar Rao, Devineni Uma, Yarapathineni Srinivasa Rao among several others to perpetuate the TDP goon culture.

42. Fleeing from Hyderabad overnight after having been caught red-handed in the note for vote case in 2015.

43. Failure to regularize the services of contract employees in various sectors as promised at the time of 2014 elections.

44. Discriminating against constituencies represented by YSRCP MLAs by not releasing funds and approving development schemes.

45. Shielding the corrupt by refusing to allow central agencies like Income Tax, CBI and ED into the state.

46. Massive scams in granite mining involving TDP Leaders.

47. Failure to honour promises made to AgriGold victims and doing closed-door deals with management of the company.

48. Sanctioning of unemployment allowance a month before elections on a limited scale.

49. Announcement of Pasupu-Kumkuma to lure women at the 11th hour for electoral gains.

50. Stealing personal data of voters including bank account details, Aadhaar card number, pan card etc in the name of collecting information of beneficiary of welfare schemes and then transferring TDP’s Seva Mitra app developed by a private company.

Also Read: 50 Reasons Why AP People Want To Crown YS Jagan CM