Gulte News
In what can be a shock to pro-YS Jagan spiritual leader Swaroopananda, the new government in Andhra Pradesh has decided to take back the 15 acres of land. The land was previously allotted to Sri Sarada Peetham near Visakhapatnam by the previous YS Jagan government. The announcement was made on Wednesday following a state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Sri Sarada Peetham’s head, Swaroopanandendra Saraswati, is known as the spiritual mentor to several Chief Ministers, including former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. In 2021, the YSR Congress government granted the Sarada Peetham 15 acres of land in Bheemunipatnam, a Visakhapatnam suburb, for establishing a Vedic school. However, the pontiff later sought amendments to the Government Order (GO) to allow the land to be used for other purposes, which were approved earlier this year.
Controversy surrounded the land allotment, with allegations that the property—valued at several crores—was allocated at a nominal price as a token of gratitude for a ritual (yagna) performed by the Peetham for Jagan Mohan Reddy’s electoral victory.
After the TDP-led NDA coalition’s landslide victory in June, several political and social organizations, including the Jana Sena, Telugu Shakti, and the Visakha District Dalit Unity Forum, demanded the cancellation of the land grant. The Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad President, Srinivasananda Saraswati, also called on the NDA government to revoke the allotment, alleging misuse of the land under the pretext of developing infrastructure for the Peetham.
CM Naidu criticized the previous government, stating in July that the land was allocated to the Peetham at just Rs 1 lakh per acre. He further accused the YSR Congress of illegally occupying 1.75 lakh acres of land, valued at approximately Rs 35,000 crore, during its tenure.
Naidu announced that the government will soon introduce the AP Land Grabbing Act, modeled after Gujarat’s legislation, to address illegal land occupations. Under this proposed law, individuals occupying land unlawfully would need to provide evidence of ownership to avoid penalties.
The move to reclaim the land reflects the new government’s intent to address alleged irregularities in land allocations during the previous administration.
