TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu sits on dharna at Tirupati airport, detained

AMRAVATI: Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday staged a dharna at the Tirupati airport after he was stopped by the police from going to Chittoor for campaigning for the municipal corporation elections. 

The Tirupati police said that there will be a law and order problem if Naidu is allowed to visit Chittoor. The TDP chief has been detailed by the local police, according to news agency ANI.

Andhra Pradesh: TDP leader and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sat down in protest at Tirupati airport in Renigunta after he was detained by Renigunta police while he was going to attend election campaigning in Chittoor district. pic.twitter.com/WO71S1gyVS — ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2021

Former minister and TDP AP president K Atchannaidu on Monday demanded the ruling YSRCP leaders to explain whether former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had no right to hold his tours and meetings in the state.

Atchannaidu asserted that Chandrababu Naidu served as the Chief Minister for over 14 years and had over 40 years of political standing. “The YSRCP leaders had no right to create obstacles for the visits of such a senior leader. The common people were having doubts now whether they were brought under a jungle raj after the YSRCP came to power,’’ he said.

In a statement, the TDP leader condemned the house arrests of their party’s Chittoor district leaders ahead of Chandrababu Naidu's tour in Tirupati. 

“With what right, they had arrested the Opposition leaders without assigning valid reasons? The YSRCP leaders were forgetting the fact that Chandrababu Naidu was also an NSG protectee,’’ he said.

Atchannaidu accused CM Jagan Reddy of behaving like “Hitler and Mussolini” with total contempt towards democratic systems and ideologies. “Jagan Reddy regime was pursuing an agenda of arrogance, adamance, dictatorship and political vendetta. Thousands of people were allowed to take part in rallies and meetings of caste associations but no permission was being given to democratic protests of the Opposition leaders.”

The TDP leader asked whether the Chief Minister and his MLAs were afraid of giving permission to the TDP meetings because their massive irregularities and violations would be exposed. 

The YSRCP Ministers and MLAs were shivering with chill even in the sweltering heat at the mention of the Chandrababu Naidu tours. 

The ruling party leaders were only facing the present public resentment because of their mindless actions. Atchannaidu asserted that the TDP agitation would not stop and it would not be afraid if some of its leaders were put under false arrests. 

“The goondaism, misdeeds and oppression of the YSRCP leaders would be exposed in front of the public. It was only because of the rising unpopularity of Jagan Reddy's rule that the YSRCP MLAs and leaders were unleashing oppression and threats on everybody. The YSRCP leaders were not able to come before the public without the police's support,’’ the TDP leader alleged.

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