Naidu slammed for remarks on house sites for poor

Vijayawada: Minister for social welfare Merugu Nagarjuna objected to the alleged offensive remarks of TD chief Chandrababu Naidu on the house sites for the poor in Amaravati and alleged that Naidu was against the poor hence creating obstructions for the house sites programme in Amaravati.

Claiming that Naidu did not fulfil any promise of 2014 TD’s election manifesto, the minister challenged that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government fulfilled all promises and they were ready to prove the same.

Minister Nagarjuna slammed Naidu for his comments ‘cent land is useful only to bury a body’ on the distribution of cent land to every poor for the construction of houses and stated that even cent land was also not provided to the poor during Naidu’s government. He recalled that in a road show in Pendurthi on May 17, Naidu had mocked that the house plots given to the poor were not enough to bury dead bodies and said that it was an insult to the poor.

The minister expressed ire that Naidu was full of ego and that it was evident from the way he was mocking the welfare programme for the poor. Naidu insulted SCs and STs and his politics is against the poor and the masses, the minister said.

Minister Nagarjuna further stated that Naidu’s statement that there will be a demographic imbalance if the poor are housed in Amaravati is a symbol of Naidu's caste pride and Pettandari (authoritarian) mentality. He criticised that some individuals backed by Telugu Desam had filed cases in the courts to prevent the provision of houses to the poor in Amaravati, and that the Supreme Court's verdict was a slap in the face of the TD leaders.

Minister Nagarjuna alleged that Naidu was not able to understand and digest that the YSRC government was supporting the poor and was providing them with welfare schemes including the provision of houses. Naidu is trying to undermine the poor with his benamis, the minister remarked.

The minister said, “There is no record of Naidu taking steps meant for the welfare of the poor during his five-year rule of the TD. Naidu looted the government treasury for five years. With the same budget, Jagan’s government is giving financial benefits to the poor and is striving for their welfare.”

The minister alleged that every time Naidu comes to power, he is against Dalit, Bahujan, BC and minority communities.