Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sreedhar Reddy on Friday led a protest by members of the Muslim community demanding funds for community development works in Nellore. , Photo credit: The Hindu
Members of the Muslim community, led by rebel YSR Congress Party MLA Kotamreddy Sreedhar Reddy, on Friday staged a protest demanding the release of Rs 15 crore for the renovation of the Barasheed shrine.
Speaking on the occasion, the dissident YSRCP MLA from Nellore Rural Assembly constituency said that though Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had given the go-ahead for the development of facilities for the pilgrims on January 2, the finance department has not yet released the sanctioned amount. Haven’t done it.
He said that his repeated attempts to get the funds by raising the issue at various levels including District Development Review Committee meetings failed. Hence, they decided to hit the streets, said the legislator, who had resorted to ‘Gandhian methods of protest including satyagraha’ to pressurize the authorities to end the civil distress of the people.
It was unfortunate that instead of releasing the funds, the YSRCP government allegedly resorted to tapping his phone and looked at him with suspicion, though he did not say anything about the chief minister or the party. With no other option, he had decided to break away from the YSRCP, he explained.
The proposed development works include a ‘Shadikhana’ and a school for minority students. As a result, a minority school continued to operate from rented buildings. He said that whatever development has taken place in the dargah has happened during the previous regime.