Mega wedding turns the spotlight on frequent misuse of political power and money
Sucheta Dalal 02 Nov 2012

 The upcoming wedding of Andhra Pradesh transport minister’s daughter’s wedding highlights how officials misuse power and money to overcome entrepreneurs and the common man. This isn’t the first time this has happened

 

Moneylife Digital Team

 
The recent controversy surrounding the extravagant wedding of Andhra Pradesh (AP) transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana’s daughter highlights the ways in which tax payers’ money is being misused at the cost of small entrepreneurs. According to media reports (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Botsa-daughters-mega-wedding-bash-has-govt-staff-in-a-tizzy/articleshow/17054529.cms) the mega wedding is expected to accommodate around 80,000 invitees, including top government officials, governors and ‘VVIP’ guests.
 
So big and ‘important’ was the wedding that AP government officials had to call off the “Gram Sandarsha” programme as ministers had to attend the wedding. It is shocking to learn that some of them even misused tax payers’ money to attend the wedding on the pretext of attending meetings. Further more, media reports that the panchayati raj department, which is supposed to look after interest of villager and the poor, have been entrusted to take care of hospitality needs instead, especially accommodating wedding guests in five-star hotels. 
 
Even worse, we hear that some vehicles owners were asked to have their vehicle impounded because there was lack of vehicles to transport ministers to the wedding. Check out the image below. 
It doesn’t end here. It is also reported that taxi owners were promised rent of Rs1,000 when the commercial rate is actually Rs4,500. Even small entrepreneurs like taxi drivers are coerced to give up their gains if they had gone about doing their business. 
 
However, this kind of atrocity isn’t new to the Andhra Pradesh government. It has happened before as well. Former expenditure secretary to the central government, EAS Sarma had written a strongly worded letter to the state chief minister about the manner in which small entrepreneurs are being made to suffer a loss due to strong arm tactics of the government and all for an extravagant spending on another wedding. In this case, an examination venue had to be shifted to accommodate another wedding, which resulted in loss of life and future life prospects.
 
 
E.A.S.Sarma
14-40-4/1 Gokhale Road
Maharanipeta
Visakhapatnam 530002
Tel. Nos. 0891-6619858/ 9866021646 
 
To
Shri Kiran Kumar Reddy
Chief Minister
Andhra Pradesh 
 
Dear Shri Kiran Kumar Reddy garu, 
 
I enclose an extract of a disturbing news report on the shifting of a centre in Srikakulam for the examination of candidates for VAO/ VRA appointments on Sunday to accommodate the Minister’s son’s wedding reception! There have been reports of at least one candidate trying to rush to another centre as a result of this avoidable dislocation, meeting with a serious accident in which her father lost his life and she was injured. 
 
Some days ago, the same Minister, for a similar event, did not hesitate to break down the compound wall of a school and damage the precincts, without either the district authorities or the State Education Department resisting it. 
 
In the recent past, this very same person has thrown a veiled threat against all those that disagree with him on matters of public policy, committing an act of indiscretion that is condemnable. 
 
Of late, we have witnessed the same Minister’s involvement in the allotment of a valuable granite mine to his son in the same district. In another district, his son has got a valuable apartment for a song in return for the favours shown to the building developer who has misappropriated the land on the basis of fabricated documents. The State government has shown its complicity in this infamous matter by (i) dragging its feet in allowing prosecution of the culprits under Prevention of Corruption Act, (ii) suppressing the facts before Hon’ble Lok Ayukta on a case filed against this and (iii) allowing the culprits enough time to interfere with the evidence and get interim court orders against public interest. 
 
In any civilized society, such persons would have been brought to the book straightaway. A public representative would have been sacked without any hesitation from the sacred office he is in occupation of. It is only in a banana State that encourages feudal tyranny that such persons are allowed to continue and flaunt their authority to threaten the common people. 
 
If your government allows such atrocities to persist, we will be constrained to draw the inference that they have your taciturn support. Ours is a civilized democracy in which the rule of law is supreme and the persons occupying public offices accountable. They cannot take the law, the democratic conventions and the people for granted.
 
I request you to ascertain the facts and, if the facts as reported are true, ask the concerned Minister to quit gracefully. 
 
Regards,
 
Yours sincerely,
E.A.S.Sarma
Visakhapatnam
20-2-2012
 
It would seem that the Andhra Pradesh government is not concerned about the welfare of entrepreneurs and the common man and continues its lavish ways at the expense of the tax payers’. There is no end in sight to this brazen loot of tax payers’ money, that too for a mega wedding and the way they strong-arm to their own convenience.