Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said that 'demonic forces' were preventing development in his state.
Conveying Dusshera greetings to the state, Naidu was quoted as saying, "I wish the people of the state and nation, and all the Telugu people in India and abroad. Vijayadashami is the day of the victory of the good over evil and is the time of God’s blessing positive thoughts. There are some evil forces that are trying to create obstacles to the construction of the Polavaram project and the Amaravati capital city. So, the people should be alert about such demonic forces preventing development."
The Chief Minister also pointed out that his government brought waters of river Godavari to the Krishna delta through the Pattiseema project, even though there was no inflow into river Krishna from other states.
This comes days after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a preliminary enquiry and stated that nearly Rs 80 lakh were misused by revenue officials in the name of vehicles provided to shift displaced people, as part of the resettlement and rehabilitation of Polavaram project oustees.
Speaking to the Times of India, Gopalakrishna, DSP (ACB) of West Godavari said that they had collected evidence regarding misappropriation and recorded statements of the displaced people, who claimed they were not provided vehicles.
The officer also said that the ACB might make arrests after October 15 should anyone be found guilty.
The state government has also been facing flak for the construction of its capital Amaravati.
Last week, British architectural firm Foster and Partners, submitted final models designs for some key government buildings including the Assembly and the High Court.
While Naidu was happy with the waterfront, the layout and the interior designing of the legislative assembly, he felt that the facade can look much better, and asked for director SS Rajamouli's suggestions, to add an Indian touch to the designs of Amaravati.
Rajamouli is the director of the two-part Baahubali series, which is based in the ancient kingdom of 'Mahishmathi'.
However, the move was criticised by many, including architects, who felt that a director was not the right person to approach for architectural design.
While some questioned if it was relevant to seek inspiration for a 21st century, modern capital city from mythical imaginations of the past, others dubbed it an unscientific and irrational approach to city planning and architecture.
According to reports, Naidu suggested that Rajamouli be flown to London in the coming weeks to give his inputs to the firm.
The Chief Minister will visit the firm in London on October 25 to finalise the designs, during his tour to Britain and the United Arab Emirates.