The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former chief minister, Mr Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday strongly condemned the police action against the Jana Sena founder president, Mr Pawan Kalyan and his party activists in the port city of Visakhapatnam earlier in the day.
On learning about Mr Pawan Kalyan’s arrival to Vijayawada, Mr Chandrababu, from Gannavaram airport, drove straight to the hotel where Mr Pawan is staying and had a meeting with him. Later, accompanied by Mr Pawan Kalyan, Mr Chandrababu addressed media persons at the hotel.
Mr Chandrabau said that the incidents that happened in Visakhapatnam are very painful. In a democratic nation, when a political leader visits a place the police make proper arrangements but the behaviour of the police forces in Visakhapatnam during Mr Pawan Kalyan’s visit is highly condemnable, Mr Chandrababu Naidu felt.
The police attacked the Jana Sena activists and in turn cases were registered against them, he said, adding that they created all sorts of inconvenience to Mr Pawan till he reached his hotel room. “How can the police ask Mr Pawan not to come out of the hotel and is this democracy,” he asked.
Even the street-lights were switched off when Mr Pawan was on his way back and the police officers served notices on him to send him back from Visakhapatnam, Mr Chandrababu said. Is there any law and order problem with his visit to Visakhapatnam, he asked and felt that this is nothing but ridiculing democracy.
The State has been witnessing a similar situation for the past three-and-half years, Mr Naidu said. If not political parties who will raise public issues and if there is no protection for political leaders one can easily imagine the security of the common man, he maintained.
Filing of illegal cases, attacks and making false allegations have become common in the State now, he felt and expressed serious concern that the leaders are being attacked personally. Mr Chandrababu wanted all the political parties and people’s organisations to seriously think about these issues. “Even the media has no freedom in the State and the less said the better about the freedom of the people of the State,” Mr Naidu observed.
Stating that he has come to meet Mr Pawan to express solidarity with him after learning about the incidents in Visakhapatnam, Mr Chandrababu Naidu stated that he has never seen in his lifetime such a stupid political party like the YSRCP. “Not even an FIR has been registered against the persons involved in the attack on the TDP party office here,” he said.
Mr Naidu is of the strong opinion that unless political parties exist in the State there is not safety for democracy and only then the parties can fight for people’s rights. The Chief Minister, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is taking wild pleasure in harassing the people should realise the fact that one can not continue in power permanently, Mr Naidu observed.
Has Mr Pawan Kalyan committed any mistake by extending a helping hand for the farmers who suffered losses in agriculture, he asked and pointed out that obstructions have been created even for his Janawani programme. Mr Chandrababu Naidu called upon the political parties, people’s organisations and others to come forward to uphold the values of democracy and to create a situation that a meeting can be organised even in a remote village.
“It was me who responded first when similar attacks were made against the YSRCP MP, Mr Raghurama Krishnam Raju,” he said and expressed concern that otherwise he would have been finished on that day itself. Mr Chandrababu Naidu called for a united fight for justice.
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