'State terrorism' afflicting all sections of Andhra Pradesh, alleges TDP chief Naidu

TDP National President and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday slammed the YSRCP government for allegedly perpetrating "State terrorism" as a cover for its undemocratic, autocratic, and authoritarian activities aimed at denying civil liberties and fundamental rights of the people in the State.

Naidu accused the ruling YSRCP leaders, the police, and the rest of the official machinery of stifling the voice of all sections of the people not to speak of the opposition parties' leaders.

The TDP chief dwelt elaborately on the government's atrocities and brutalities in his speech on the first day of the 2-day digital Mahanadu, the party's annual conclave.

Naidu recalled that in the past, there used to be the problem of rigging mostly but not other issues.

"But, under the YSRCP regime, attacks on the opposition were being launched even before the start of the elections. Nominations were not being allowed to be filed. Even if they were filed, the nominations were declared invalid. These were nothing but clear symptoms of the democratic decline that the High Court of Andhra Pradesh has commented on," he said.

The TDP chief said he himself was spending sleepless nights sometimes seeing the unchecked harassment of the party leaders by the YSRCP. Naidu recalled how illegal arrests began with Atchannaidu, Kollu Ravindra, Chintamaneni Prabhakar, JC Prabhakar Reddy, JC Asmith Reddy, Dhulipalla Narendra, Ramakrishna Reddy, B. Tech Ravi, BC Janardhan Reddy and even the YSRCP own rebel MP Raghurama Raju.

"Serious sections were being filed to make the leaders go to jail without bail. Some sections being slapped would give above seven years imprisonment," he said.

Naidu asked how a sedition case could be filed against a member of Lok Sabha like Raghu Ramakrishna Raju.

"Not only that, he was beaten up in custody. This indicated the lowest levels to which democracy has declined in AP. As a responsible opposition party, the TDP would continue to fight against these atrocities. The police and the Government, who were violating the laws, would eventually be answerable to the people," he said.

The TDP chief said Andhra Pradesh has got stuck in a deep economic crisis even as the ruling party was suppressing facts about the State economy. "The State revenue stood at just Rs. 83,000 Cr but the Government took over Rs. 80,000 Cr loans. Some more loans would also have been taken but the facts were not being given out. The CM's lack of a plan for wealth creation caused a huge disaster," he added.

The TDP leaders, in a resolution passed on the first day of 'digital Mahanadu', came down heavily on the Jaganmohan Reddy government for 'failing' to come to the rescue of the people in a time of extreme threat from the Coronavirus pandemic.

Naidu said that the Jagan Reddy regime's failure to control the first wave of coronavirus has made the state a victim of the severe form of second wave now. "At least now, the AP Government should wake up and rise to the occasion. Any more complacency would prove more dangerous since the wave 3 infections were going to take a toll on the children as well. The Government should shed its negligent attitude and start providing effective facilities to save lives," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )