Naidu tears into Jagan rule; vows to protect farmers’ lands

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday tore into the previous YSR Congress Party regime, charging it with orchestrating systematic land-grabbing, administrative anarchy, and moral decay. He reiterated that his government has vigorously initiated restoration of public trust through transparent and corruption-free governance, with prime focus on both development and welfare.

Addressing a public meeting at Kalugotla in Emmiganur Assembly constituency of Kurnool district, as part of the “Mee Bhoomi–Mee Hakku” Pattadar Passbooks distribution programme, the Chief Minister observed that “land is not merely property but an emotional bond equivalent to a mother,” and vowed that no individual or political force would ever be allowed to snatch farmers’ ancestral lands again.

The Chief Minister alleged that the regime led by former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy grossly misused the Land Titling Act to deliberately create disputes. “Lakhs of acres were forcibly taken over by branding them as disputed under Section 22-A. Nearly 80% of public petitions today are related to land disputes, exposing the scale of misgovernance between 2019 and 2024,” he said. Mr. Naidu announced that the Act has been scrapped and replaced with tamper-proof land records carrying QR codes, royal emblems, and advanced security features, with strict jail terms for any manipulations.

Declaring that welfare and development were now moving together at jet speed, Mr. Naidu said 100% issuance of Pattadar Passbooks would be completed by December 2027, marking what he called a decisive break from “vindictive, chaotic, and corrupt governance.”

The Chief Minister said that public money to the tune of ₹700 crore was spent merely to imprint photographs on survey stones, terming it an act of “unprecedented political vanity”. He also accused the previous dispensation of illegally converting private land into government property to build a helipad near Tadepalli.

“Polavaram project will be completed and dedicated to the nation by the next Godavari Pushkarams,” the Chief Minister said, reaffirming his commitment to provide water to every acre in the State, including drought-prone Rayalaseema and the western parts of Kurnool. He said projects such as Polavaram, Pattiseema, Vedavathi, Guru Raghavendra, and Rajolibanda were being fast-tracked, while rectifying what he described as massive corruption in Polavaram’s diaphragm wall construction. “We are rebuilding what was deliberately destroyed,” the Chief Minister said.

“Rayalaseema was once crippled by drought, but has now emerged as a horticulture hub producing over 200 million metric tonnes of produce annually, supported by drip irrigation and interlinking of rivers,” the Chief Minister said, sticking to his promise that the government would not hike power tariffs.

Referring to the ghee scam in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the Chief Minister alleged that adulterated ghee was indiscriminately used in Tirumala laddu prasadam for five years. “This damaged the sanctity of TTD. During the present coalition government, steps are taken to restore the glory,” he said.