TDP questions land bill, Jagan says Naidu should be in mental hospital

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members staged a walkout from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday demanding the YCP government to withdraw the assignment lands (amendment) bill in order to prevent any injustice to the weaker sections of people in the state.

The Opposition party MLAs once again expressed their strong resentment against the Speaker not giving the mike to the Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu. As usual, the ruling YCP members were creating obstacles during the speech of the TDP chief.

Later, after staging the walkout, Naidu accused the Jaganmohan Reddy government of unjustly and forcibly snatching away the assignment lands that were long given to the poor families. For several years and decades, these families were cultivating and developing their lands. Different assignment land laws were already passed by the governments in the past to protect the undeniable rights of these poor families over their assignment lands.

Chandrababu Naidu asserted that most of the assignment farmers were SCs and BCs who gave their sweat and blood to bring these lands under cultivation. The government has no right to snatch away their lands which have been long given to them, he said. If the SC farmers were willingly giving away their lands, then there would be no need for making an amendment to the laws. Even the courts have taken strong objection to the government’s unilateral and unlawful action, but the ruling party leaders were not realising the gravity of the situation.

The TDP chief said that the ruling party was undermining the existing assignment lands Act. It was undemocratic and unlawful to take back the lands that were already given away, he said. “The YCP ministers were talking atrociously and irresponsibly without any concern for the well-being of the assignment farmers.” The ruling party was spreading misinformation that the SC lands were being misused by others.