CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh State Secretary V Srinivasa Rao has launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, Visakhapatnam, saying the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government staged a grand spectacle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi while ignoring the grievances of tribal communities, displaced farmers and tobacco growers across the state.

The CPI(M) criticised the TDP-BJP alliance for mobilising schoolchildren in large numbers to create an impressive reception. The state government spent crores of rupees on full-page advertisements in newspapers.

Addressing the press, Srinivasa Rao said Naidu had boarded a sinking boat by aligning with the BJP. Citing the Bankipur Assembly by-election result in Bihar, where the BJP lost nearly half its earlier vote share, Rao said the same political fate awaited the TDP. He argued that the public, angered by corruption in the Union government and by what he called the Prime Minister’s oppressive actions against students, had delivered a fitting response at the polls.

He said the BJP’s decline had begun, pointing to its reduced vote share compared to its earlier performance in Gujarat, and claimed that funds collected in the name of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya had been misappropriated.

Srinivasa Rao said the Supreme Court had condemned the lathi-charge on students in Delhi, yet Chandrababu Naidu chose to welcome the Prime Minister at Bhogapuram with excessive praise, compromising the dignity of his office. He questioned the expenditure of hundreds of crores of public funds to transport thousands of schoolchildren, without their parents’ consent, to the privately operated airport simply to create a spectacle. He also criticised the decision to bring hostel students to sing in praise of the Prime Minister and to have children from the Agency area perform the traditional Dimsa dance as part of the event.

Farmers Lost Land, Corporates Gained

On the airport project, Srinivasa Rao said the government had facilitated the acquisition of farmers’ land but held no ownership stake in the venture. The CPI(M) said that while the project served corporate interests, it had failed the farmers who surrendered their land. Only around 30 local people had found employment, and those jobs were limited to low-paying housekeeping roles, which he described as an insult to the educated youth.

The CPI(M) also said verbal instructions had barred recruitment from the region stretching from Srikakulam to East Godavari, and asked how North Andhra could develop without employment opportunities for its own people.

The CPI(M) said the government, focused on serving corporate interests, had ignored its promises to the people, including the restoration of Government Order No. 3, and continued to allocate Agency lands to corporate entities even as frustrated tribal youth held daily rallies and protests without response.

He urged the government to issue a special order to restore confidence among tribal people, announcing the CPI(M)'s support for the movement. He contrasted the government’s speed in clearing a ₹22,000-crore project for Google in Visakhapatnam with its inaction on months of Adivasi protests, noting that even the Chief Justice of India, who had initially declined to hear a petition filed by the tribal youth, later heard the matter and responded positively.

Land Rights under Threat, Farmers Left in the Lurch

Srinivasa Rao said that in Eluru district, landlords aligned with the BJP, TDP and the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) had jointly challenged the 1/70 Land Transfer Regulation Act in court, and criticised the government for avoiding intervention to protect their interests. He demanded that the state clarify its position and file counter-affidavits before August 7, warning that the 1/70 Act could meet the same fate as GO No. 3 if the government failed to act.

On tobacco farmers, Srinivasa Rao said crops that should fetch ₹250 per kilogram were being sold for around ₹100 because of ITC’s refusal to procure the crop and the absence of a minimum support price. He called the government's offer of ₹50,000 loans an insult to farmers incurring losses of ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh per acre.

The CPI(M) also raised concerns over irregularities in appointments made under the District Selection Committee (DSC) sports quota and demanded a comprehensive inquiry, along with the announcement of a fresh job calendar and the immediate recruitment of 20,000 police constables.