- Mallareddy sailing in troubled-waters in Medchal?
- Congress and BJP candidates are giving tough time to him
- Amassing wealth of the MLA is a discussion in gated community housing corners
There was an advertisement on Onida TV in nineties with the famous tagline “Neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride”. It is apt to recall the advertisement pertaining to the Minister for Labour and Employment and BRS MLA of Medchal assembly constituency Chamakura Malla Reddy, who is running a number of educational institutions in Telangana. Malla Reddy, who was elected as MP from Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency from Telugu Desam in 2014, joined BRS later. He contested from Medchal assembly segment in 2018 and won with a good margin of 87,990 votes against K Laxma Reddy.
Amassing wealth by Malla Reddy in Medchal district turned out to be a negative point in this election. The acquisition of hundreds of acres by him and his heirs is the most discussed point in 400 gated residential colonies in the segment. V Deshpande, a retired engineer living in a gated community in the limits of Medchal segment, said, “May be the MLA bought most of the lands with his hard-earned money, but he used force in acquiring land from small farmers at some places. This issue is being seen as a negative factor by the people of the segment. With this, he was stamped as a man of land encroachment. There are allegations that the Minister swallowed ponds and tanks. Such type of mouth publicity may hit his winning chance.”
Malla Reddy, who used to state that his life commenced as milk-vendor, became popular by setting up engineering college and other educational institutions and has allegedly amassed wealth by selling engineering seats for capitation fee. Thotakura Vajesh Yadav concentrated more on Mallareddy’s acquiring of hundreds of acres. He used to refer to the land issue in the public meeting and tried to put the minister in a tight spot by stamping him as land grabber.
B Madan Naik, voter of Muduchintayalapalli, a mandal headquarter of Medchal segment, said, “The Minister had his lands in our mandal too. Many of the lands that have been acquired from the marginal and small scale farmers by paying meagre amounts to them. The poor farmers have no other go except to sell their lands to him. In case they raise an objection, the lands will be in the prohibited list in Dharani portal the very next day”. (eom)
