YSR inciting political violence: TDP

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, AUG. 26.The Telugu Desam Party strongly lashed out at the Leader of Opposition, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, today for giving a call to Congressmen at the Anantapur rally to form `suicide squads' to counter "physical attacks" by ruling party supporters.

The TDP hit back at Dr. Reddy by appealing to the AICC president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, to suspend the CLP leader from the party and called for socially boycotting him for "inciting political violence".

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the Minister for Civil Supplies, Dr. N. Janardhan Reddy, the TDP general secretary, Mr. Lal Jan Basha, and spokesman, Mr. R. Chandrasekhar Reddy, sought an explanation from the APCC leadership what it proposed to achieve by constituting suicide squads, which were normally associated with terrorist groups like the LTTE.

They recalled that the TDP had already condemned the murder of the newly-elected president of Yadiki mandal in Anantapur district, Bala Satish, and suspended the main accused from the organisation. Besides, the Government had announced a reward of Rs. 2 lakhs for information leading to the assailants' arrest.

The TDP leaders, however, evaded pointed replies to questions about the line of investigation they favoured into the string of 16 other murders of Congressmen in election-related violence on the ground that TDP supporters too had been maimed and injured in several incidents. Asserting that there was no need for a judicial inquiry, they said these incidents could be referred to the House Committee constituted recently to recommend measures to curb factional violence.

Responding to a volley of questions about the TDP's own association with persons having criminal record, Dr. Janardhan Reddy said "there is no person in our party who has been involved in criminal violence". He said he had no ready information regarding the Congress allegation that the main accused in multiple murders in Kapatralla in Kurnool district in March last had won a ZPTC seat on TDP ticket.

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Section  : Southern States
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