Fearing demolition, Naidu asks colleagues to look for new residence for him

india

Updated: Jun 26, 2019 22:26 IST

Telugu Desam Party president and opposition leader in Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu is likely to vacate his leased residence on the banks of the Krishna River at Vundavalli in Amaravati and move into another house in Vijayawada.

Naidu has been compelled to take a decision to this effect, in the wake of chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy cracking the whip on alleged illegal constructions that came up on the river bank.

“The residence occupied by the previous chief minister is an unauthorised construction,” Jagan Reddy declared at the two-day conference of IAS and IPS officers held at Praja Vedika, a sprawling conference hall constructed adjacent to Naidu’s residence.

The authorities of the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) have identified as many as 22 such illegal constructions. Soon after the conclusion of the conference on Tuesday evening, the authorities started razing Praja Vedika and completed the exercise by Wednesday evening.

A senior TDP leader familiar with the development said Naidu, who returned from his Europe trip to Amaravati on Tuesday night, was closeted with senior party colleagues at his residence on Wednesday morning to discuss the fallout of the government’s decision to demolish illegal constructions.

“Some party leaders suggested to him to watch out for further moves from the government, many others told him it would be better if he moved into a new residence since Jagan himself declared the existing residence as illegal and would continue to create problems,” the TDP leader said.

As anticipated by the party leaders, some local farmers lodged a complaint with the CRDA authorities that the approach road to Naidu’s residence was laid by the previous government by forcibly occupying their piece of land. Producing documents to prove their point, the farmers demanded that the land should be returned to them.

“It clearly shows that Naidu’s residence was illegal. Since the issue is in court, we shall deal with it legally. But the TDP chief himself should decide whether to continue here or not,” YSRC lawmaker Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, whose assembly constituency Mangalagiri covers Amaravati capital region, said.

Apparently realising that the Jagan Reddy government will continue to create trouble for him, Naidu asked his party leaders to hunt for a suitable residence on rent for him at the earliest, preferably in Vijayawada.

Meanwhile, some farmers from the Uddandarayuni Palem village in Amaravati, who are diehard supporters of the TDP, offered a piece of land to Naidu for the construction of a permanent residence. “Naidu was moved by the gesture and told them that he would take a decision on constructing a new house in Amaravati shortly,” the TDP leader said. Naidu will be moving into a guest house in Vijayawada initially.