Demand to release funds to panchayats

Guntur: BJP and JSP leaders staged a protest at the Collectorate here on Thursday, to mount pressure on the state government to release the funds allocated by the Centre to the gram panchayats directly.

In response to the call given by BJP state president Dggubati Purandeswari, the party leaders protested at all the collectorates in the state.

Addressing the gathering, former MLC and BJP leader Vakati Narayana Reddy said that the state government is diverting the funds released by the Centre to other accounts and demanded the government to remit the gram panchayats’ funds to their bank accounts immediately.

He recalled that the Centre had released the 15th Finance Commission grants of Rs 7,350 crore to the state government. Till now, the state government diverted the funds to other accounts. He said in future they will take up agitations with the JSP support. He criticised that the state government is not cooperating to hike the ticket price for ‘Mega Star’ Chiranjeevi film. Central Labour Welfare Board chairman Valluri Jayaprakash Narayana alleged that the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is extending financial assistance under Navaratnalu to the party activists’ accounts. He warned people will revolt against the government in the days to come.

BJP district president Patibandla Rama Krishna, party legal cell convenor Jupudi Ranga Raju, state secretary Maganti Sudhakar Yadav, JSP district president Gade Venkateswara Rao, JSP Guntur city president Nerella Suresh, sarpanches association district president Kalluri Srinivas were present.

Later, they submitted a memorandum to the district collector M Venugopal Reddy.