Tirupati: Botcha himself is a paid artiste, slams Narayana

Tirupati: There is no question of opposition parties accepting the three capital proposal unless and until Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy wins the election on the plank of that (three capitals), asserted CPI national secretary K Narayana while addressing a protest meeting held at RDO office here on Monday.

The dharna was held jointly by the opposition TDP, CPI, CPM and other parties expressing solidarity with the Amaravati farmers' struggle on the occasion of the stir completing 300 days.

Predicting that next election will be mainly on the two issues – retaining Amaravati as capital and Special Category Status to AP, Narayana said the people and political parties should vote only for those supporting the two demands. He further said that without the approval of the people no government can decide on such crucial issues unilaterally and observed, "taking the three capitals Chief Minister Jagan is playing with the emotions of the farmers."

Reacting sharply to the reported remarks of municipal minister Botcha Satyanarayana slighting the protesting Amaravati farmers as paid artistes, he said it was the minister who is the paid artiste and not the farmers who were standing firmly on the capital issue and warned that the day is not far away for the people not allowing the public representatives move in public if they oppose Amaravati as state capital.

CPM district secretary Pullaiah and RPI state president P Anjaiah said Jagan when he was in opposition supported Amaravati but keen on three capitals now revealing his double standard and alleged that the state development was in limbo with the government focusing on establishment of the three capitals.

Meanwhile, TDP activists led by Chittoor Parliamentary constituency president Pulivarthi Nani staged a rasta roki at Mangalam on the city outskirts disrupting traffic for sometime on the busy road while protests were held by TDP activists at many places, responding to the state party call to express solidarity with Amaravati farmers spearheading the struggle against three capital proposal.