The names of the eligible voters are being removed from the voters’ list in the Visakhapatnam Parliamentary Constituency, and this is a very serious issue, alleges BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V. L. Narasimha Rao.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Mr. Narasimha Rao said that about 20 organisations representing the people who had settled down in the city from States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and organisations representing communities such as Jains and Anglo Indians had approached him and complained that their names had been removed from the voters’ list.
“The number of such persons is 50,000 as of now. They have been removed from the voters’ list as the ruling YSRCP believes that they are not potential voters of the party,” said Mr. Narasimha Rao.
“I have written a letter on the issue to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, requesting him to take necessary steps. We have also asked the local authorities concerned to submit a report on the matter,” the BJP leader said.
He further alleged that the authorities were creating hurdles for the BJP members and activists, especially those belonging to the BPL segment, in the issuance ration cards and including them in pension and such other schemes.
Lepakshi land row
Criticising the State government for keeping the people in the dark on the alleged land scam involving the Lepakshi Knowledge Hub, Mr. Narasimha Rao said the government should come clean on the issue and put all the relevant documents in the public domain.
He alleged that about 9,000 acres had been acquired for the Lepakshi Knowledge Hub in Anantpur district, and about 4,200 acres of it were allotted to a private consortium for a paltry sum of about ₹500 crore.
“The allotted land is abutting the national highway and is barely 50 minutes from the airport. How can an extent that is marked as prime land be given away for just ₹500 crore?” he questioned.
“Moreover, it is said that the consortium belongs to the son of an MLA from the ruling party,” he said.
“The Lepakshi land scam is only a tip of the iceberg. Such scams have been happening since the days of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Though the land has been acquired for projects such as Lepakshi, VANPIC and Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor decades ago, there is no evidence of any development or industrial activity,” Mr. Narasimha Rao alleged.
Liquor scam
Coming down heavily on the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments, he said the names of the two States had come up in the ongoing inquiry into the Delhi liquor scam.
“It is unfortunate that the role of A.P. and Telangana in the Delhi liquor scam has come under scanner, and the political parties that rule the Telugu-speaking States talk of model governance,” he said.
Former MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, MLC P.V.N. Madhav and Visakhapatnam Parliamentary Constituency president M. Ravindra spoke.
