YSRCP stated that the attack by TDP supporters on YSRCP leaders and members of the CRDA Farmers Protection Committee at Undavalli was a planned attempt to suppress the voices of Amaravati farmers and prevent the truth about the capital project from reaching the public. The party said the violence was intended to divert attention from issues surrounding Amaravati, including land acquisition, mounting debt, construction costs and the hardships faced by farmers who refused to part with their land.
According to YSRCP, the attack took place while MLCs Lella Appi Reddy and Monditoka Arun Kumar, former ministers Perni Nani and Ambati Rambabu, Mangalagiri coordinator Vemareddy, Tadikonda coordinator Diamond Babu, members of the CRDA Farmers Protection Committee and farmers were visiting Undavalli at the invitation of local farmers. The delegation was scheduled to inspect agricultural lands in Penumaka, where farmers have been protesting against forced land acquisition and alleging that water from Kondaveeti Vagu has been diverted into their fields, making cultivation impossible. The convoy was attacked with stones and eggs, damaging several vehicles. A large stone was hurled at MLC Monditoka Arun Kumar, who narrowly escaped, while a police constable sustained serious injuries and was shifted for medical treatment in a YSRCP vehicle after suffering heavy bleeding.
YSRCP said the attack was designed to prevent the outside world from witnessing the situation faced by farmers in Amaravati. Farmers from Undavalli, Penumaka, Nidamarru, Errabalem, Kuragallu and other villages have been protesting against what they describe as forced land acquisition and government pressure. They recently met former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking legal support, following which a legal team was constituted to assist them.
The party stated that farmers are reporting repeated harassment for refusing to surrender their land, including allegations that electricity and irrigation connections were disconnected, canals excavated, soil removed, reservoir water diverted into private fields and agricultural land deliberately rendered unfit for cultivation. YSRCP further said farmers have raised serious concerns that lands not surrendered under land pooling have nevertheless been shown in official records as pooled, converted into returnable plots and even registered in the names of others. It questioned under what legal authority plots could be allotted and registrations completed on land whose owners never consented to part with their property.
YSRCP also raised concerns over the scale of land acquisition in Amaravati, questioning why additional land is being sought despite thousands of acres already being acquired. The party said farmers have repeatedly stated that road connectivity can be achieved through the existing Karakatta Road without acquiring more agricultural land. It added that Dalit farmers continue to face delays in the registration of returnable plots despite government assurances.
The party further stated that Amaravati has become synonymous with escalating public expenditure and financial burden. It said Secretariat buildings are being constructed at more than Rs.20,000 per square foot, while the Union Government’s own office and residential complexes in Amaravati are estimated at approximately Rs.5,587 and Rs.3,945 per square foot respectively, averaging about Rs.4,645 per square foot. YSRCP said the capital project has already accumulated borrowings of about Rs.47,385 crore in the name of a “self-financing” model, while corruption in construction contracts, excavation of earth, sand extraction and mining activities continues unchecked.
YSRCP questioned why farmers who refused land pooling are allegedly being targeted while those responsible for the attack have not faced immediate action. The party demanded answers on how registrations took place on lands that were never surrendered, who authorised excavation and sale of soil from farmers’ lands, why allegations of disconnection of power and water supplies have not been addressed, and what action has been taken against those involved in the violence at Undavalli.
Reaffirming its support for the farming community, YSRCP said it will continue to stand with Amaravati farmers and expose what it described as land exploitation, construction-related corruption, misuse of official authority and attempts to silence farmers seeking justice.
