Former minister Amarnath Files PIL in High fineCourt Challenging State Land Policy

A political controversy has erupted over the Andhra Pradesh government’s land allocation policy, with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) initiating a legal battle against the state’s decisions. The party has alleged that valuable government lands are being allotted to private real estate companies at throwaway prices, allegedly violating established rules.

Former minister Gudivada Amarnath stated that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the High Court , questioning the government’s decisions on land allotments.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Amarnath expressed strong objections to the policy. He said allocating land to industries that generate employment would benefit the state’s economy, but granting thousands of acres to profit-driven real estate firms raises serious concerns. He suggested that such decisions could indicate a major irregularity.

He also questioned how land that belongs to the public could be allotted to companies from other states at concessional prices and demanded that the government release a white paper detailing the allotments. According to him, a lack of transparency in these decisions is causing significant losses to the state exchequer.

Meanwhile, YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy strongly criticized the state budget presented by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu , describing it as misleading and filled with questionable figures intended to misguide the public.

Jagan alleged that whenever Chandrababu Naidu assumes power, the state’s revenues decline while its debt burden increases. He noted that during the previous YSRCP government’s five-year tenure, borrowings stood at ₹3.31 lakh crore . However, he claimed that under the present government, the state’s debt has already reached ₹3.20 lakh crore within just two years .

He further alleged that valuable lands in major cities such as Visakhapatnam are being handed over to associates and relatives of those in power, resulting in heavy losses to the state treasury. Jagan said corruption and misuse of public resources have reached alarming levels and warned that the state is struggling to maintain even basic financial reserves.

With the issue of land allotments now before the High Court , the matter has drawn widespread attention. While the opposition accuses the government of irregularities, the ruling side maintains that the policy is aimed at attracting investments to the state.