Memo to Naidu against 'politics of murder'

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, NOV. 20 The Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has asked the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, to either ensure protection to elected representatives belonging to the Congress and the CPI from `politics of murder' pursued by the TDP leaders in Anantapur district or accept their resignation.

Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy led a large contingent of 6 MLAs, 4 municipal chairpersons, 34 mandal presidents and 30 ZPTC members from the district to the Secretariat where a memorandum was presented to the Chief Minister on Tuesday. Dr. Reddy reached the Secretariat from the CLP office in the Assembly by foot.

Mr. S. Sudhakara Reddy, State secretary of the CPI, and Mr. K. Ramakrishna, CPI ex-MLA from Anantapur, also joined the team. Mr. Sudhakara Reddy submitted a similar representation offering resignation of two of their mandal presidents and an ZPTC member.

The memorandum alleged that the ruling party resorted to threats and brutal attacks on Congress and CPI leaders following the reverses it suffered in the recent local bodies elections. In a space of two months, two mandal presidents belonging to the Congress were done to death. The police were hand in glove with ruling party leaders.

Talking to reporters later, Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy claimed that the Chief Minister not only admitted failure to contain political violence but that `he felt ashamed.' Having conceded helplessness, `this Government is now unfit to continue in office,' he asserted.

The CMO, however, denied that the Chief Minister had either admitted failure to curb political violence or said that he felt `ashamed.' On the other hand, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu had assured the delegation that he would ruthlessly put down faction or political violence.

It is learnt that Mr. Naidu subtly tried to turn the tables on the opposition by reminding the CPI leader, Mr. Sudhakar Reddy, as to how the TDP and the Left parties not long ago fought together against political violence in the same district when the Congress was in power.

Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy, in his press meet, said Mr. Sudhakara Reddy recounted to Mr. Chandrababu Naidu the nefarious activities of `ati pedda moola virattu' (principal deity) who liquidated political adversaries and the consequent helplessness of the police officers who booked false cases to implicate Opposition leaders. Neither did Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy nor Mr. Sudhakara Reddy clarify who the `moola virattu' was saying `everyone knows too well.'

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Section  : Southern States
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