Lashing out at BJP’s Dubbaka MLA M. Raghunandan Rao for levelling charges against his lands, Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy said that Raghunandan must reveal when he will come as he (Niranjan Reddy) is ready to bear the expenditure of surveying his lands.
Niranjan asked Raghunandan to respond immediately if his allegations were bonafide. He also asked Raghunandan to apologise if he found that no offences have been committed.
“I stick to my statement that I will resign if it is proved that I grabbed even a single gunta of land,” he said.
Addressing the media at the Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, Niranjan said that he has 90 acres. Land records were laminated in 2008 in Telangana and were upgraded after the BRS government came to power. However, the records were destroyed when Alampur was flooded in 2009. From then onwards, transactions are being done digitally, Niranjan said.
The Agriculture Minister said that linking the destruction of records in the Manavapadu Tehsildar office to lands owned by him was not justifiable.
He said that he has no permanent buildings in Chanduru. There are only sheds constructed for workers, buffalos, sheep and tractors. He said that 29 journalists had visited the Chanduru farmlands the very next day after Raghunandan hurled his charges and had examined the fields.
“I don’t know why Raghunandan conspired against me. The public knows about my political life. I have responded only to provide facts to the people. He spoke like Brahmamgaru using info supplied by someone,” he said.
He said that Raghunandan spoke without knowing where RDS is and where the Krishna River’s submergence area is. The RDS canal will not come to Chanduru lands as said by Raghunandan, the Minister said.
“The statement of Raghunandan that the land located in survey number 60 is mine is false. We purchased only five acres legally leaving 12 acres submerged. However, Raghunandan said that I grabbed 80 acres. He said that I constructed a compound wall. I constructed walls only in some areas and the remaining is just fencing. Srisailam submerged lands are there in survey number 60 but not in RDS,” he said.
He said that he had land in his village Pangal since the last two decades and the same was mentioned in the 2018 election affidavit.
“But Raghunandan said that I have a house worth Rs 12 crore. If so let him give up his Hyderabad house and take my Pangal house. Or else, Raghunandan must take my house and give me Rs 4 crore. I have only a simple house,” Niranjan said.
He said that he is inviting the media after April 27 and Raghunandan too is welcome to come.
“I am ready to take an oath at the Gattu Katipalli Venkateswara Swamy Temple stating that I have not committed any irregularities. I don’t want an apology from Raghunandan but he must understand his mistake. I am ready to resign if any farmer from any of the six villages near my village tells the media that I had committed anything wrong,” Niranjan said.
