Vizag Assigned Lands Scam: Why CM & Dy CM Are Silent
It is well known that during the YSRCP regime, there were large-scale allegations that former Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy was involved in a massive land scam centered around Visakhapatnam. In this regard, several news reports also appeared in the media along with multiple pieces of evidence. Not only that, Jana Sena’s Visakhapatnam corporator Murthy Yadav made serious allegations against Jawahar Reddy in the presence of the media. That too during the time when he was serving as Chief Secretary. When Murthy Yadav made allegations regarding this scam, Jawahar Reddy announced that he would issue legal notices and take strict action, but in reality, nothing was done. As a result, discussions took place even during the YSRCP regime that Jawahar Reddy had backed off out of fear. All that is in the past now. After the coalition government came to power in Andhra Pradesh, TDP leaders at the time announced that strict action would be taken on this massive land scam that took place in Visakhapatnam and that an SIT would be formed to investigate the matter. But cut to the present, even after one and a half years since the coalition government assumed responsibility in the state, till now the coalition government has not even turned an eye towards the land irregularities of senior IAS officer and former Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy.
Coalition leaders have been acting as if Jawahar Reddy did nothing at all in Visakhapatnam. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who says that land dealings and illegalities will not be tolerated at all, and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan have not uttered a single word on this issue. It must be said that both Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan bear significant responsibility in the Visakhapatnam benami land scam issue. This is because Jana Sena corporator Murthy Yadav not only exposed this crucial issue publicly, but also faced challenges from the then Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy. Even so, after assuming responsibilities, Pawan Kalyan has not spoken even once about this matter anywhere. Discussions are going on even among TDP and Jana Sena leaders that the main reason behind all this is that the bigwigs in the government have settled the matter. Otherwise, if an IAS officer were to grab lands worth thousands of crores in the names of benamis, would those in power silently watch and do nothing—this discussion is also taking place in political and official circles.
It must be said that there have never before been such open allegations that a person who served as Chief Secretary acquired hundreds of acres of land through benamis, that too assigned lands. During his tenure as the Chief Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh government, Jawahar Reddy faced allegations that he acquired hundreds of acres worth thousands of crores of rupees in Visakhapatnam district through his benamis. The Jagan Mohan Reddy government took a decision to grant full ownership rights to beneficiaries to enable the sale of assigned lands. Since he was a person holding a key position in the government, Jawahar Reddy came to know about this matter before anyone else, and taking advantage of this, he is facing serious allegations that he set his sights on lands in Visakhapatnam district and ran the entire operation. It is being said that Jawahar Reddy’s benamis carried out massive deals in Anandapuram and Padmanabhapuram mandals.
There is political talk in those circles that persons named Umesh and Trilok carried out these transactions in Visakhapatnam on behalf of the then Chief Secretary. It is being said that the total extent is between 800 and 1,000 acres. Even so, the fact that there is no investigation and no action indicates how big a story has been played out behind this, according to comments being heard. It is being said that not only in the Jawahar Reddy land scam but also using several scams that took place in the previous regime as weapons, under the leadership of a key leader, a ‘Kim and team’ has been carrying out settlements and distributing shares to the respective parties. That is why everyone is maintaining silence, according to discussions going on in government circles.
