Amaravati, Oct 23 (IANS): The TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh has decided to take back 15 acres of land allotted to Sri Sarada Peetham near Visakhapatnam by the previous YSR Congress government, it was announced on Wednesday.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Sri Sarada Peetham pontiff Swaroopanandendra Saraswati was considered the spiritual guru of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The previous government, headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy, had allotted 15 acres of land to the Peetham near Bheemunipatnam, a suburb of Visakhapatnam, in 2021 on a request by the pontiff for setting up a Vedic school.

The seer, who is said to be the guru of several Chief Ministers in the country, had sought amendments to the Government Order (GO) relating to land allotment so that the land could be used for other purposes. The previous government had amended the GO early this year.

There were allegations that the Peetham was allotted land worth several crores at a throwaway price as it performed a yagna for the victory of Jagan Mohan Reddy.

After the TDP-led NDA stormed to power with a landslide majority in June this year, there have been demands to cancel the land allotment. The Jana Sena, which is a partner in the NDA government, the Visakha District Dalit Unity Forum, Telugu Shakti and other organisations, had demanded that the government take back the land.

Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad President Srinivasananda Saraswati also wanted the NDA government to cancel the allotment of land to Sarada Peetham. The YSR Congress government was accused of misusing the land for commercial purposes under the guise of building infrastructure for the Visakha Sarada Peetham.

Chandrababu Naidu had said in July that the valuable land was allotted to the Peetham at merely Rs 1 lakh per acre. He also claimed that 1.75 lakh acres of land worth a whopping Rs 35,000 crore was illegally occupied during the five-year rule of the YSR Congress Party.

Naidu had also said that the government will soon bring the AP Land Grabbing Act, along the lines of a similar legislation in Gujarat, to deal with land grabbing. Once the proposed law comes into force, those who illegally occupy any land have to prove that the land belongs to them, he said.