Visakhapatnam, August 24: Gudivada Amarnath, regional coordinator of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and former minister of Andhra Pradesh, has accused the Chandrababu Naidu government of attempting to divert attention from the Mega DSC controversy. He stated that instead of addressing public concerns, the government is trying to sidetrack the issue.
Amarnath reiterated the demand made by YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for a CBI investigation into the Mega DSC-2025 and APPSC recruitment processes. He emphasized that if the government has full confidence in these recruitment processes, there should be no fear of an investigation.
He pointed out several serious unanswered questions, including the 372 appointments made under the sports quota without a regular DSC exam, suspicious sports certificates, alleged audio-video recordings related to bribery for jobs, and the rank-1 controversy involving an outsourced employee. Amarnath mentioned that the government failed to defend the DSC in the Assembly and is now avoiding a detailed inquiry in the Legislative Council.
The YSRCP leader also criticized Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to Anakapalli. He noted that while farmers are struggling with drought, crop crises, and pending payments, the government seems focused solely on program management. He highlighted that only about 5,000 hectares of the 56,000 hectares of paddy land in Anakapalli district are currently being cultivated. He called for an immediate drought declaration to provide relief.
Amarnath questioned Minister Lokesh’s claim that data center projects would create 180,000 jobs. He argued that while the government is offering large tracts of land and incentives, it fails to provide clear information about actual employment prospects, water needs, electricity demands, and environmental impacts. He mentioned that around 10 gigawatts of data center capacity is proposed, even as Visakhapatnam faces a severe water crisis.
He warned that lowering the water level of the Polavaram project could threaten water security for Visakhapatnam and North Andhra.
Meanwhile, YSRCP Guntur district president and former minister Ambati Rambabu stated that the Supreme Court did not grant a clean chit to Ramoji Rao in the guiding illegal deposits case. He clarified that the criminal proceedings were terminated only due to Rao’s death.
Speaking to reporters at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, Rambabu explained that the dismissal of Undavalli Arun Kumar’s petition does not legitimize the deposit collection process by the guiding entity.
He noted that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had raised questions about the deposit collection process before Undavalli’s complaint. The RBI had clarified that Hindu Undivided Families (HUF) cannot collect deposits from the public in violation of Section 45S of the RBI Act.
Rambabu revealed that the guiding entity had raised approximately ₹2,600 crores from depositors, and later, Ramoji Rao sold media assets to raise funds for returning the depositors’ money. He stated, “Criminal cases may end with a person’s death, but financial liabilities do not.”
He added that strict action and heavy penalties are stipulated under Section 45S, which can be imposed based on the illegally raised amount. He emphasized that civil and financial obligations can still be pursued.
Rambabu referenced a recent response from the central government in Parliament, which clarified that HUFs cannot raise public deposits and that regulatory action can be taken for violations.
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