400 acres to Isha group kicks off row in AP

State govt terms allocation a goodwill gesture

The Andhra Pradesh government’s proposed allocation of 400 acres of land near
Vijayawada for the development of spiritually-oriented institutions in association with Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation has kicked up a political storm.

The allocation was termed a goodwill gesture by the Nara Chandrababu Naidu government for the three-day inner engineering training programme for ministers and heads of departments by the spiritual leader in January.

After the Coimbatore-based foundation expressed its willingness to set up its institutions in Vijayawada, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, accompanied by state Human Resources Development Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao visited the forest land near Mulapadu on Tuesday along with state officials.

The minister told reporters the foundation was keen on setting up a leadership academy, an International School of Corporate Law and an art and crafts institute.
According to him, the actual allocation of the forest land would take place after the Union government gives the necessary clearances.

However, the proximity of the proposed academy to the new state capital, Amaravati, where the government is pooling over 33,000 acres of agricultural lands, has raised eyebrows. The Congress' state unit has already opposed the move. “How can the government give away forest land quite close to the new capital to Isha Foundation?” asked Malladi Vishnu, former MLA from Vijayawada.

He said Mulapadu would be hot property in future as it is close to the national highway. An acre of land in this area would fetch Rs 2 crore, he said.

The Congress leader also said Chandrababu Naidu has been in constant touch with Srinivasa Rao and local officials, even during his China visit, to ensure that the Isha Foundation founder was extended all courtesies during his visit to Vijayawada.

“The AP government is ready to part with valuable land for the rich and famous, and real-estate agents from Singapore, Japan and China,” he charged, demanding that the forest land be distributed among the landless poor.