Government Whip and Gannavaram MLA Yarlagadda Venkata Rao addressing the media at his office in Vijayawada on Monday
Vijayawada: Government Whip and Gannavaram MLA Yarlagadda Venkata Rao on Monday clarified that his recent remarks were not directed against the State government or Telugu Desam Party (TDP), but were intended only to reflect the concerns of party workers, who had stood by the party during difficult times.
Addressing a press conference at his office in Vijayawada, Yarlagadda alleged that certain YouTube channels and sections of the media had distorted his statements to create a false impression that he had criticised the government.
Refuting allegations that he attempted to influence the award of airport contracts, Yarlagadda threw an open challenge, stating that he would resign as MLA within five minutes if anyone proved that he had recommended or pressured officials to award a tender to any company linked to him.
He said he had raised questions in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of Airport Advisory Committee regarding pending works, revised project costs and public expenditure, adding that elected representatives had every right to seek transparency in the utilisation of public funds.
He further pointed out that Committee Chairman Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Balashowry and Co Chairman as well as Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni) had also raised similar questions. Yarlagadda asserted that if he had any grievance with the government, he would convey it directly to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu instead of resorting to indirect criticism.
He said several TDP workers in Gannavaram were disappointed that government works and contracts were allegedly being awarded to individuals associated with political rivals despite the sacrifices made by dedicated party cadres over the past five years. He maintained that conveying their concerns to the party leadership should not be construed as anti-party activity.
On the development front, Yarlagadda announced that a free Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Training Centre would be inaugurated on July 17 under P-4 programme with support from the HCL Foundation. He urged unemployed youth to make use of the training programme to enhance their skills and improve their employment prospects.