Power, Property and Political Hypocrisy (PPP)

Power, Property and Political Hypocrisy (PPP)

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s politics of double standards has once again come under sharp public scrutiny. While the TDP government has been aggressively demolishing YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) offices and branding them “illegal,” the same government is quietly allotting highly valuable public land to its own party offices at throwaway lease rates. What unfolds is a glaring case of selective morality, political vendetta, and institutionalised hypocrisy, where rules change depending on who benefits.

GO used Selectively

During the 2014–19 TDP regime, a Government Order was issued allowing allotment of land to political parties for office construction on long-term lease. Using this very GO, the TDP allotted prime lands to itself across Andhra Pradesh.

However, when the YSR Congress Party followed the same policy framework to obtain land for its offices, the TDP and its allied “yellow media” launched a vicious propaganda campaign, branding it as “loot,” “self-enrichment,” and “illegal occupation.”

After returning to power in 2024, the same TDP government went a step further, demolishing YSRCP offices even where permissions and leases were valid, while simultaneously allocating fresh parcels of valuable land to its own party offices.

Bapatla latest example: Land at Rs1,000 per year

The latest instance comes from Bapatla, where:
• 2 acres of valuable land were allotted to the TDP office
• Lease period: 33 years
• Annual lease amount: ₹1,000 per acre
• Allotted in the name of the district TDP president

This comes at a time when poor families are denied even a few cents of land, yet vast public assets are handed over generously to the ruling party.

Crores worth of Public Land gifted to TDP

Hyderabad: In one of the earliest and most controversial cases, a prime plot in Banjara Hills was transferred overnight in 1997. Land originally under HUDA was moved through official channels and allotted to the NTR Memorial Trust. A government order was issued the very same day, enabling the transfer of extremely high-value commercial land.

Mangalagiri: The TDP national office stands on 3.65 acres abutting the Kolkata–Chennai highway, now worth over ₹75 crore.
The land includes:
• Canal (poramboke) land
• Government land
• Assigned patta lands of farmers

The canal was filled, public land encroached, and farmers’ lands absorbed. The property was leased for 99 years, raising serious questions on legality and ethics.

Guntur: In Arundelpet (Pichukalagunta), the TDP constructed its district office by leasing 1,000 square yards from the municipal corporation and allegedly encroaching an additional 1,500 square yards of adjacent land.

Srikakulam: Land originally developed by the SC Corporation for distribution to Dalits was diverted and leased to the TDP for its office. Today, the building constructed there is estimated to be worth over ₹40 crore, raising serious concerns of social injustice.

Kakinada: In one of the city’s prime zones, about 2,000 square yards of Zilla Parishad land were allotted to the TDP on a 99-year lease through a government order dated November 1, 2016. The current value exceeds ₹10 crore.

Vijayawada: Near Auto Nagar and Guru Nanak Colony, 95 cents of extremely valuable public land meant for public use was allotted to the TDP under pressure from the then minister. Despite objections, it was leased for 99 years. The land today is valued at over ₹40 crore.

Visakhapatnam : At Dasapalla Hills, government land was allotted to the TDP in 2002 on a 33-year lease at just ₹25,000 per year. Later, an additional hill portion measuring nearly 1,000 square yards was encroached upon while constructing the party office in 2016.

Machilipatnam: In Krishna district headquarters, 1.60 acres valued at more than ₹50 crore were allotted to the TDP for a lease of just ₹1,000 per year for 33 years. The land had earlier been allocated to the Transport Department but was cancelled and reassigned to the party.

Tirupati: At Avilala village in Tirupati Rural, 2 acres of government land worth nearly ₹100 crore were leased to the TDP for 33 years at a token annual rent of ₹1,000.

Kadapa: In Kadapa town, 2 acres of R&B land worth about ₹50 crore were allotted to the TDP district unit, despite the land being under legal dispute. Ignoring court proceedings, the land was registered in the name of the party district president.

Selective outrage against YSRCP offices

When YSRCP, following the same 2014–19 GO, obtained land for party offices:
• Yellow media ran daily headlines accusing “self-enrichment”
• Allegations like “palaces without permission” were circulated
• Campaigns portrayed legal allotments as corruption

Headlines published during that period included:
• “Self-Feast at Public Cost” (19.06.2022)
• “₹100 Crore Land Bonanza for YSRCP Buildings” (23.12.2022)
• “Party Using Government Land” (07.02.2024)
• “Unauthorized Palaces Everywhere” (23.06.2024)

Demolition drive targeting YSRCP offices

After coming to power in 2024, the TDP launched what critics describe as a vindictive demolition campaign:
• The nearly completed YSRCP Guntur office at Tadepalli was demolished despite court protection.
• In Rayachoti, TDP leaders personally led intimidation and disruption at YSRCP office sites.
• In Visakhapatnam (Endada), despite payment of ₹15.63 lakh and applications made to VMRDA in February 2023, permissions were suddenly termed “invalid.”
• In Nellore, officials threatened demolition of the district office despite all approvals and lease payments.
• In Anantapur, notices were issued alleging “unauthorised construction” over 1.5 acres.
• In Rajamahendravaram, notices were served calling the YSRCP district office “illegal”.

All these actions were taken despite valid permissions, leases, and compliance, revealing a clear pattern of political vendetta.

One rule for TDP, another for the Opposition

While YSRCP offices are targeted, sealed, or demolished even after following due process, the ruling party continues to quietly acquire prime lands across districts for its own offices under the same policy framework.

The contradiction is stark:
• Rules for others, exemptions for TDP
• Demolition for opposition, donation for the ruling party
• Moral lectures in opposition, land bonanza in power

Public Outrage Over Hypocrisy Politics

People across the state are calling this out as a textbook case of “Gurivindha Rajakeeyam” — preaching ethics while practicing the opposite. The very government that once accused others of corruption is now seen indulging in large-scale allotment of public land to itself.

The question being asked across Andhra Pradesh is simple and piercing:

If allocating land for party offices is wrong, why is TDP doing it today?
If it is right, why were YSRCP offices demolished?

The contradiction stands exposed, and public anger over Chandrababu Naidu’s double standards continues to grow.

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