Tension as lawyers protest Naidu’s visit

PNS|Kurnool

Tension prevailed during TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit as a group of lawyers supporting Kurnool as the Judicial capital of andhra Pradesh staged protest here on Friday. The agitators raised ‘Go Back’ slogans against Naidu holding placards and flex banners and demanding that he support establishment of Judicial capital in Kurnool.

The activists affiliated with the Rayalaseema Yuvajana Vidyardhi JAC tried to obstruct the convoy of Naidu holding flex banners and raising ‘Naidu Go Back’ slogans when Naidu was going to unveil the statue of NT Rama Rao near TDP office.

However, the TDP leaders and activists raised counter-slogans against Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. The police arrested and whisked away the lawyers who were protesting Naidu’s visit. Furious over the incidents, Naidu challenged that he would stay in Kurnool tonight and would face them appropriately. “With the fear of defeat, Jagan Mohan Reddy is stoking his cadre to take up agitations. Kurnool district has achieved a lot of development during the TDP regime,” he claimed.

Observing that it is the TDP that completely eradicated factionalism in Rayalaseema, Naidu cautioned the people of the region to be careful about the political rowdies. Earlier, after visiting the TIDCO housing units, Naidu told media persons that the housing units prove how the administration was functioning.

“We have constructed a community hall, Primary Health Centre, and Anganwadi school in the colony. We have built 3.10 lakh TIDCO houses. Had the 10% work been completed, the houses would have been suitable to be given to the beneficiaries. We started the construction of 30 lakh houses in the State during the TDP regime. Housewarming functions were also held. Now, many houses were in a pathetic state,” he lashed out.

Though the construction of these housing units began during the TDP regime, most of the units remained incomplete and the YSRCP did not take the initiative to complete the project, he added. Inviting several local leaders into the party, Chandrababu reiterated that the TDP always stood behind the Backward Classes (BCs) and did justice to them. The YSRCP is always trying to suppress the community, he said, and added that the credit for creating 33 percent reservations for BCs in employment goes only to the TDP.

Naidu said that the YSRCP government is trying to make Visakhapatnam the Executive capital of the State not because of love for the city but to grab lands there. Meanwhile, YSRCP MLA Abdul Hafiz Khan hit back Naidu’s accusations stating that TDP activists attacked some students. “Had the students lost control of themselves, Naidu would have not crossed the border of Kurnool city,” he said.

“I would like to reiterate that Chandrababu Naidu is a Rayalaseema betrayer. Naidu is trying to prevent the establishment of the capital city in Kurnool,” he slammed. The YSRCP MLA said that he did not understand why Naidu had come to Kurnool and there is no clarification on his statements either.

“When people of the city did not respond to Naidu, he plunged into frustration. When the youth expressed their protest, Naidu described them as Paytm batch. They are agitating for their rights. They are ready to sacrifice their lives for the development of Kurnool,” Hafiz Khan said.