Section 22-A row: BJP finds a landmine
BJP MLAs disrupted Telangana Assembly proceedings demanding a judicial probe, while the Congress government admitted record errors but has not accepted the wider scam claim.
The government has offered a committee while the BJP continues to demand a judicial inquiry into Section 22-A land records.
The Telangana Assembly’s monsoon session opened with BJP MLAs in the well, placards up and a demand for a judicial inquiry into private properties allegedly placed on the Section 22-A prohibited-properties list. The disruption was led by BJP Legislature Party leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy on September 7.
The Congress government offered discussion, not the judicial probe the BJP demanded. Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said the issue could be taken up, and the Speaker assured the BJP that a short discussion would be held. The Business Advisory Committee included the matter in the session agenda, scheduled to run until September 12.
The government has admitted errors. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy apologised for difficulties caused by land-record mistakes and cited a Rangareddy case where an entire 12-acre parcel, including two acres identified as Bhoodan land, was listed under Section 22-A. He said a high-level committee would review complaints and geo-tagging would identify eligible portions.
The BJP alleges a scam worth lakhs of crores. The accessible record contains no property list, acreage total, complaint count, audit or inquiry finding to establish that claim. The Congress government has admitted the mess; it has not yet agreed to let a judge examine it. For now, the BJP has a demand, the government has a committee, and landowners have paperwork doing what paperwork does best: refusing to move.