*Chandrababu changing Amaravati's definition to mislead people*

Rajamahendravaram, July 29: YSRCP National Spokesperson and former MP Margani Bharat alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was changing the very definition of Amaravati to create confusion among the public after being rattled by the emergence of MAVIGAN as a strong growth region.

Addressing the media at the party office in Rajamahendravaram on Wednesday, Bharat said Chandrababu had now begun claiming that Vijayawada and Guntur were part of Amaravati, though both cities were geographically separate from the capital region. He questioned how Amaravati could be equated with cities that were located away from the designated capital area. Unlike MAVIGAN, Amaravati neither had a population running into millions nor the infrastructure of ports, an international airport, railway stations, national highways, medical colleges and universities, he said. MAVIGAN already had a population of over 4.5 million and world-class connectivity, making comparisons misleading.

Bharat also asked Chandrababu to disclose how much had actually been spent on the development of Vijayawada and Guntur during his seven years in office if they were indeed considered part of the capital region. He further said Machilipatnam, with its strategic port potential, should also be included in the State's development vision.

Throwing an open challenge to Education Minister Nara Lokesh, Bharat said he was ready for a public debate on the alleged Mega DSC irregularities. He said Lokesh was free to choose the venue and time, and asserted that YSRCP would substantiate allegations relating to the DSC paper leak, the sports quota recruitment process and the role of an outsourced computer operator who allegedly secured the first rank. Bharat also demanded clarity from the State Government over reports that the proposed 10 GW Tata Power project for Nellore was being shifted to Odisha. He urged the government to place the facts before the people instead of claiming credit for projects initiated during the previous YSRCP government.