TDP chief urges SEC, DGP to release arrested leaders
Amarnath, Nani arrested illegally
Conspiracy to prevent TDP leaders from campaigning
Naidu writes to SEC and DGP
AMARAVATI: Condemning midnight arrests, TDP National President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday urged the State Election Commissioner (SEC) and the AP DGP to take immediate steps for the unconditional release of TDP leaders Amarnath Reddy and Pulivarthi Nani.
Naidu said the police filed a false and then arrested TDP former Minister N Amarnath Reddy and Tirupati parliament TDP incharge Pulivarthi Venkata Mani Prasad. These midnight arrests were made at the behest of the ruling YSRCP leaders who were aiming at preventing the TDP leaders from the election campaign.
In separate letters sent to the SEC and the DGP here, the TDP chief said that the present elections to 13 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have turned into a farce and a black mark on democracy in Andhra Pradesh. A section of police officials in connivance with the ruling YSRCP have been making all attempts in creating hurdles to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidates in order to deter them from contesting elections.
Naidu said it seemed the police functioning in AP has been progressively deteriorating under the present leadership. Not only did the police file a fake case against TDP leaders campaigning in Kuppam, but had the audacity to arrest two senior leaders of TDP from their hotel rooms during midnight hours.
The TDP chief said that the police registered false cases against Amarnath and Nani on November 8 itself. Instead of arresting them during daytime, the police chose midnight hours in order to send wrong signals to the opposition leaders.
Describing the current events as a mockery of democracy, Chandrababu Naidu said the AP present regime was reminiscent of British Raj and Police Raj. In this backdrop, it is appealed that the two arrested leaders be released unconditionally. The police instead of impeding TDP’s campaign should focus on maintaining peace, law and order in order to ensure that the present local body elections are conducted peacefully in a democratic manner.
Naidu said that initially, it was local election authorities who had either illegally rejected nominations of TDP candidates or had withdrawn their nominations through forged signatures. Now, it is the police who were conniving with the ruling YSRCP to file false complaints to facilitate midnight arrests in order to prevent TDP leaders from campaigning.
The TDP chief demanded that stringent action should be taken against the erring officers who were responsible for midnight arrests and for filing fabricated cases to subvert the election process.
