Earlier, the YSR Congress Party, in the assembly, had claimed that the previous Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government had built Anna Canteen wherever they could find a land on the eve of the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. But TDP stuck to its guns, saying the land was chosen only to ameliorate the conditions of the poor.
Amaravati: Several speculations claimed that Andhra Pradesh chief minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is all set to shut down former state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu's flagship project Anna Canteen.
Speaking in Assembly YSRCP leader and municipal administration minister Botsa Satyanarayana, claimed that their party would not shut down Naidu's project entirely, but a certain number of outlets would be closed as they had erected the canteens in lands that were available on the eve of the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
As many as 210 canteens are now operational in the state.
MyNation spoke to TDP spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain who claimed that YSRCP's move in the state is a political vendetta. "They are not doing any developments in Andhra Pradesh. They are like a coin, one side is YSRCP, and the other side is the BJP. They are renaming the roads, buildings and many other places that were started by us (TDP). And, another stressful move by the present government is, they are least bothered about rural areas. If they shut down our project in these rural areas, then what is the point of having it?" Prem Kumar stressed.
"It is obvious that rich people do not like to come and eat in Anna Canteen. But we want to serve the poor. That is our agenda," he added.
When MyNation questioned him about the canteens that display huge portraits of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama Rao and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu at the entrances which would be replaced with YS Rajasekhara Reddy and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's pictures now, the TDP leader said that the YSRCP should earn the calibre to be placed in such positions.
"Let them change everything. But people know what the YSRCP is doing and what the TDP was doing. It has been more than two months since they formed the government, what have they done to the state?" the TDP spokesperson lashed out at the YSRCP.
The people of Andhra Pradesh have no choice left as they don’t know who to believe and have become a mute spectator of the government’s whims and fancies. All they could now do is to wait till September 1 to know if Chandrababu Naidu's Anna Canteen would be renamed, replaced or shut down.
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