J-Tax On Land, Sand, Mine & Wine: TDP

TDP leader Pattabhi slammed Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for blatantly lying on implementation of various government schemes introduced under Navaratnalu, even while claiming that he considers his YSRC party manifesto as a holy scripture. He got used to telling lies swearing on the Holy Bhagavadgita in the court rooms and continued doing the same today too. The party manifesto speaks of large sanctions but the CM is not doing the same in reality, he ridiculed.

Earlier in the day, the CM addressed a video conference brefied the progress the YSRC government has brought in Andhra Pradesh, on the occasion of completing one year in office.

The TDP leader criticised Jagan for creating artificial scarcity of sand in the state and selling one lorry of sand for Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000, through sand mafia. He accused Jagan of making money through land, sand, wine and mines. He reminded that the CM halted the supply of sand for three months after coming to power, to design his action plan to loot people in the name of artificial scarcity. He also faulted the CM for scrapping the free sand policy introduced by the TDP government.

With sand supply being stopped, daily wage labourers were rendered jobless and pushed into misery and the real estate sector also was hit under the YSRC rule, he said.

He accused Jagan Mohan Reddy of bringing his henchmen from Kadapa, a faction-ridden town, and resorting to encroachment of valuable lands in Vizag, in the name of shifting the capital. He alleged that the YSRC leaders, prominently Vijayasai Reddy, are attempting to encroach Waltair Club, Dasapalla lands, Venkojipalem Ashram, Kartika Vanam in Vizag.

Further, he fumed at the YSRC government for forcibly taking away thousands of acres of assigned lands given to farmers to distribute the same to another set of poor people, under the Pedalandariki Illu scheme. He also reminded of the 200-crore land scam the CM, in association with YSRC MP Margani Bharat, was involved in Rajahmundry city. Lands in mangrove forests in Kakinada and Machilipatnam were also cleared for doing real estate business, Pattabhi alleged.

He termed the CM as ‘liquor don’ as he was technically the owner of 3,500 government-owned liquor shops. He alleged that companies manufacturing cheap liquor were paying “Jagan tax” (J-tax) of Rs 300-Rs 400 crore every year, just as the cement companies are being forced to do it.

“By increasing the prices of liquor, the CM has made the lives of the poor more miserable as the alcoholic men are not giving anything to their families but spending all that they earned on liquor,” he pointed out.

He also accused the CM of abetting mining mafia and threatening owners of mining companies, belonging to rival parties.

Pattabhi also said that the ‘Build AP’ policy of AP was in fact, ‘Sold AP’ and added that if it was implemented the future generations will have no space to build colleges, schools, parks and markets, as there will no government lands.

The TDP leader fumed at the CM for resorting to corruption in land, sand, wine and mines and at the same time forcibly collecting J-Tax from businessmen.