Swami Agnivesh asks AP CM not to play with fire

Vijayawada, March 2, 2015: Well known social activist Swami Agnivesh has warned Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu not to forcibly collect land from the farmers of the Guntur district for the construction of the capital city. "No objective can be fulfilled if there is no public approval. If the land is forcibly taken, we will launch a nation wide agitation against it from Vijayawada itself," Swami Agnivesh told a vernacular daily in an interview here. Such activities will lead to downfall, he warned, adding that Chandrababu is playing with fire on the issue of land pooling. Agnivesh came to Vijayawada to meet the farmers of the capital region to know their opinions and take their suggestions over the Central ordinance on land acquisition. Reacting to Chandrababu Naidu's assertion that he will change AP into another Singapore, Swami Agnivesh said India should remain India for retaining its traditions and beliefs. "Such a transformation will only benefit real estate business men and corporate companies," he observed.