YS Jagan exposes TDP’s ‘credit chori’ in land resurvey

Tadepalli, Jan 22: YSRCP President and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday called the bluff of the TDP leadership over its tall claims and alleged “credit chori” in the comprehensive land resurvey. He affirmed that legal options would be explored to ensure justice to the Pinnelli villagers who were allegedly forced to leave their village, while also highlighting what he termed rampant corruption under the coalition government. He hinted that the mass contact programme would begin when anti-incumbency reaches its peak.
Speaking to the media here, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy gave a detailed account of how N Chandrababu Naidu had, he alleged, hijacked the comprehensive land survey undertaken by the YSRCP party government and resorted to credit chori, despite having virtually no contribution to the herculean task of implementing the Bhu Raksha and Bhu Hakku schemes.
Recalling the origins of the initiative, he said that during his padayatra, farmers had poured out their woes over irregular land titles and disputes, an issue that was clearly mentioned in the 2019 manifesto. During the YSRCP party government’s tenure, Rs 6,000 crore was spent and nearly 40,000 staff were deployed to carry out comprehensive land reforms—something no other government had managed—by issuing clear land titles with advanced security features using high-end technology. The initiative, he said, was appreciated far and wide.
After assuming office, Chandrababu Naidu, who could never have imagined such a reform, allegedly took away Pattadar Passbooks from farmers, merely changed their colour, and returned them while claiming credit for the entire exercise. Even the Rs 400 crore given by the Centre as a token of appreciation was, he alleged, “knocked away” by the TDP leadership, exposing the extent of credit chori. The new Pattadar Passbooks being issued by the coalition government, he said, are riddled with errors, further increasing farmers’ hardships.
It was Chandrababu Naidu and his propaganda machinery, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged, that floated story after story just before the elections claiming that lands would be taken away under the Bhu Hakku and Bhu Rakshana schemes. IVR calls were also made to scare farmers and urge them not to vote for the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party. Such short-term political gains would not last long, as people have seen through the “dirty game,” he said.
After assuming office, Chandrababu Naidu initially blamed prohibitive lands and later took a U-turn, which, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said, exposed his opportunistic mindset. The YSRCP party government had created a robust system, which was later hijacked, with passbooks reissued without any substantive changes except in colour.
Turning to the Pinnelli incident, he said the village predominantly comprises YSRCP supporters who were allegedly forced to flee by misusing official machinery at the behest of the Telugu Desam Party leadership. When a woman who returned to see her house fell ill and her husband, a Dalit, came to attend to her, he was brutally attacked and later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
He alleged that the police initially refused to hand over the body and relented only after YSRCP leaders protested. Such undemocratic actions would be challenged in court, and justice would be ensured for the villagers, he asserted.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also accused the coalition government of rampant corruption, pointing to Sankranti gambling dens, liquor outlets in every village, and commissions flowing from top to bottom. Despite the doubling of sand prices, revenues have not increased, raising questions about where the money is going, he said. Contractors are allegedly being paid exorbitant rates for Amaravati works, with projects being awarded to a favoured few. Despite Covid, he noted, the YSRCP party government had performed well on multiple fronts.
He reiterated that unless the Leader of the Opposition status is accorded, given that YSRCP is the only opposition party in the Assembly, there is little point in attending the House. Responding to a query on his padayatra, he said it is a political decision that will be taken when the timing is right and anti-incumbency peaks.