YS Jagan Padayatra: People’s Fury At Land Scams Under TDP Palpable Everywhere  

Reshmi AR

On November 6 2017, Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly and YSRCP chief, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, set out from Idupulapaya in Dr. YSR district on Praja Sankalpa Yatra, with a mission--to understand the problems of the masses under TDP rule and to come up with viable solutions based on his Navarathnalu, aimed at alleviating the suffering of the common man. 269 days, 11 districts, 116 constituencies and 3,000 km down the road, what is palpable is the indignation of the common man in all regions at rank betrayal of all election promises by the ruling TDP and Chandrababu Naidu government. Farmers' debts and loans, Joblessness, dilution of important welfare schemes like Arogyasri and fee reimbursement, non-waiver of loans to DWCRA groups, scarcity of drinking water, rampant corruption at all levels, discrimination in implementing welfare schemes, harassment by Janmabhoomi committees, land and sand mining mafias are among some of the problems faced by people of the state on a day-to-day basis. To focus on the last issue cited here, people have repeatedly pointed out in many places, the land and sand mining scams across the state to YS Jagan in various parts of the state on his mass outreach programme, Praja Sankalpa Yatra. A few examples are worth a mention here to substantiate this point.

For instance, in Anantapur district, the Chandrababu government had taken away 7,000 acres from the farmers ostensibly to set up a solar power plant in NP Kunta. Among the lands taken away are fertile lands under the command area of Veligallu and Pedaballi reservoirs. Even the assigned lands belonging to the poor were taken away. But of this alienated land, only 1,250 acres are being used at the rate of five acres per one mega watt. When asked why fertile land is being taken away in a district in which there is a stark paucity of arable land, there are no answers forthcoming.

Similarly, in Nellore Sri Pottisriramulu District, villagers of Gottigundala, who met the YSR Congress party chief, told him that in the past, about 2000 acres of land was assigned to the poorest among them. Way back in 1995, people from other districts came here and with the help of the Chandrababu Naidu government of the time, and local party leaders of TDP then, managed to get fake certificates and also fudged records. In this manner they snatched lands which belonged rightfully to the local villagers, they complained. Subsequently, these encroachers began threatening those who questioned them on this. Villagers told YS Jagan, “During your father, the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s time, considerable progress had been made to undo the injustice done to others, and about 700 acres comprising assigned land were restored to the original assignees. Over 1200 acres are still under encroachment, the villagers told the YSR Congress party chief, adding that the matter was now pending in courts.

After the Chandrababu Naidu government returned to power, villagers are once again at the receiving end of threats by those who had encroached upon their land. “We are being intimidated and tormented constantly,” they said. How was assigned land given to those who migrated to this place 20 years ago from other districts, is the question, the people asked the mass leader.

From the complaints pouring at every point in the Padayatra it became clear that this was Chandrababu Naidu’s signature style of functioning. From assigned lands to temple lands—he spared nothing. Common citizens came up to YS Jagan to pour out their woes on this score.

In Guntur, for instance, in the village of Nandigam, an old woman, Rentapalem Kumari, told him: “Our land has been taken away from us. For 60 years we had been cultivating crops on three acres, which TDP leaders recently snatched away from us under the Neeru-Chettu scheme." Alla Jagayya of the same village told the YSRCP chief that the TDP leaders grabbed 12 acres of land by the lake and after mining the sand, sold it. “Their greed knows no limits and they sell everything,” he added.

The Sarpanch of Gudipudi revealed more on this. He said that for three generations, Dalit families there had been cultivating their crops over 60 acres of land, which has now been forcibly acquired by the TDP under the Neeru-Chettu scheme only because the ruling party decided to act vengefully against those it viewed as supporters of YSRCP.

The merciless ways of the ruling party leaders, came to the fore once again during YS Jagan's interaction with the members of a family of ex-servicemen at Medikonduru. Shabbirunnisa, an elderly woman met the mass leader and with great pride, told him that she was the wife of military Adam. She told YS Jagan that her husband, Shaikh Adam, her son and grandson were all soldiers and were proud of the fact that theirs was a family of soldiers dedicated to serving the nation. Her husband, Shaikh Adam, who had fought in the Indo-China conflict of 1962, had been wounded grievously and had earned military honours. They were allotted 2 acres and 59 cents of land which they have been using for agricultural purposes from 1969 onwards, paying taxes as required. Everything changed in the year 2015 shortly after the Telugu Desam party came to power.

“Till that point no government had ever created any problems for us. No sooner had Chandrababu Naidu assumed office than our troubles began,” she lamented. “They targeted us because we were not TDP voters and began to act with vindictiveness against us. They snatched our land away from us under the Neeru-Chettu scheme. We got a stay order from the High Court, but the Janmabhoomi committees and officials dug up our field overnight and sold the sand. We did not get a rupee as compensation. My children now go out to do scaffolding work on construction sites.” She cursed Chandrababu Naidu and his government for the wickedness with which they acted against this family of soldiers. She said to the YSRCP chief, “Your father’s regime was a golden period for us."

Similarly, in Vemavaram, by the road, YS Jagan paused to look at a boy who was making pots from clay. Pawan Kumar was all of 12 years old. When asked whether he attended school. “He goes to school, but what is the use. Studies no longer guarantee jobs. At least if he learns this skill, he would be able to survive," said his mother. The YSRCP chief assured her that things would not remain the same always and that better days would come soon. He then told her to ensure that her son goes to school and studies well. YS Jagan learnt that there were about 100 families which depended on pottery for a livelihood in that village. Their life became a struggle for survival under the TDP government, but what came as a shock to YS Jagan was news that the sand mafia and soil mafia allied to the TDP, had imposed restrictions even on the mud and clay which they were supposed to use to make pots and other items of daily use!

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Nimmakuru, the birthplace of legendary actor, former chief minister and founder of Telugu Desam party, NT Rama Rao tells its own story on the sand mafia and its activities. Yarlagadda Sivayya, a farmer belonging to Totlavallur, met YS Jagan near Mantada, and said—“Anna, near our village by the Krishna river, they are digging up land indiscriminately and carting away sand and soil. They have dug up to a depth of 30 feet! This has begun to affect our crops because groundwater has become scarce. Lush green fields are beginning to wilt. With great difficulty, after spending lakhs of rupees, I got three bore wells dug for my fields and all three have gone dry! I am neck deep in debt and I suffered a heart attack due to the stress I faced. These sand and soil mafias continue to thrive right under the nose of the Chief Minister. Helpless and having nowhere else to go, I came to you." If this is the state of affairs in the birthplace of NTR, the founder of TDP to whom Chandrababu Naidu owes his career in politics, one can imagine the plight of people elsewhere. Clearly, the TDP leaders are prospering at the cost of the farmers and the common citizens, people complained to YS Jagan.

The lake at Narayanapuram, near Nalljarla in West Godavari District was in a pathetic state, pointed out to YS Jagan. A local farmer, Kesireddy, showed the YSR Congress chief pictures of the condition it had now been reduced to under TDP rule.

The story was the same everywhere. People told YS Jagan along every step of his Praja Sankalpa Yatra in all parts of the state that land and sand mafias were tormenting them. They hoped and prayed that Rajanna Rajyam would be ushered in soon under YSR Congress party. YS Jagan lent them a patient ear wherever he went and assured them of justice.

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