Senior TDP leaders on Saturday hit back at the YSRCP government for demolishing a part of campus of GITAM deemed to be University here on the pretext that it was government land.
Addressing the media at the university, former Minister Ayyanna Patrudu said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was resorting to “vindictive and revenge politics” by targeting the TDP leaders.
“When Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister of the combined State, he had tried to demolish a part of the campus. After realising that it would be wrong on the part of the government to destroy an educational institution, he had revoked the order and restored the land. Mr. Jagan should take a cue from this and learn to respect educational and religious institutions,” he said.
“TDP leader and GITAM founder M.V.V.S. Murthi had approached the Rosaiah-led Congress government in the combined State seeking regularisation of about 37 acres of government land that fell within the GITAM Medical College campus at government rate. But the government did not oblige. The institution that has nurtured lakhs of students is being punished because its present president Sribharat is the grandson of Murthi,” Mr. Patrudu alleged.
“The machinery used for demolition purposes become active every Saturday to target the houses and institutions of the TDP leaders. Saturday is chosen as the courts do not function on that day and the aggrieved cannot approach it for a stay order,” he observed.
‘CM should introspect’
“The Chief Minister should embark on self introspection and know about the number of criminal cases pending against him before pointing fingers at others,” said another former Minister Bandaru Satyanaryana Murthy.
GITAM Medical College had rendered yeoman service when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak and had even served as district COVID hospital, he said, and added that “it is still serving the patients, but this was the treatment meted to the institution. MLA Pala Srinivas was present.
‘Act of revenge’
Staff Reporter in Vijayawada writes: TDP Polit Bureau member K. Kala Venkata Rao condemned the demolition of the alleged encroachments at GITAM institution. In a release, he termed it as an “atrocious act of revenge” by the YSRCP government against an institution that had bagged many awards. “While the TDP government had bagged awards for development, the YSRCP government is excelling in destructive activities,” he observed.
