Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy on Saturday alleged that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his close aide and Rajya Sabha MP V Vijayasai Reddy have set their sights on grabbing the land of Ramanaidu Studio located on the Visakhapatnam Beach Road. "Regrettable and objectionable on the part of the CM and his henchmen to stoop to the level of threatening even a prestigious film industry family like that of late Ramanaidu," he claimed. He alleged that Vijayasai Reddy was acting like a “broker” in this murky issue with an aim to grab 34.4 acres of land.
Murthy demanded the CM explain why the government led by him is "destroying" the chances of growth in the steel city. The TDP leader highlighted that a lot of artists and workers find job opportunities in the cinema industry and noted that the former TDP government led by Chandrababu Naidu had allotted that land to the studio in 2002 to usher in development in Vizag.
"Subsequent YSR government (YS Rajasekhara Reddy-led Congress government) had also extended its support for the Ramanaidu family who eventually completed their studio in 2008. Many artists were able to find work because of this in Vizag. However, the Jagan Mohan Reddy Reddy regime had different plans," he claimed. The TDP leader continued his slew of allegations, claiming that the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders have grabbed Karthikavanam lands, handed over Baypark to Vijayasai Reddy's son-in-law and threatened the owners of Hotel Daspalla. "They had set their sights on the Waltair Club lands as well. The government lands in Vizag were being mortgaged. The Lulu Group was sent back and the lands allotted for it were being sold," he alleged.
The YSRCP government has been preparing to shift the executive capital of the state to Vizag for over a year now, with its plans delayed by the pandemic. In the recent past, several land-related disputes have been reported in the city, with civic authorities demolishing various structures owned by TDP leaders or their associates, alleging encroachment.
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