Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Andhra Pradesh unit vice-president D. Janardhana Rao on Sunday accused the ‘‘autocratic’‘ YSR Congress Party government of misusing police to suppress the widespread protests in the wake of the arrest of TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu in the skill development case.
Addressing the media here on Sunday, he said police had ‘‘foisted’‘ cases on over 3,000 TDP leaders and activists in Prakasam district for pouring on to the streets to stage protests against the ‘‘vindictive’‘ Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
‘‘The misuse of police to further the YSRCP’s political interests is a bad trend in democracy,” he opined and promised that the party would fight a legal battle on their behalf and get them relief.
‘‘The YSRCP should realise that spontaneous stirs by people cannot be suppressed by misusing the police force. How many persons can be detained when people make up their minds to stage a revolt?” he asked, adding that there was a groundswell of support for the TDP after the former Chief Minister was put in jail under ‘‘trumped up charges’‘.
He said an exodus of party activists and second-rung leaders from the YSRCP to the TDP had started and added that 2,000 YSRCP activists, led by local body functionaries, joined the TDP in Giddalur in Prakasam district on Sunday.
TDP Ongole Lok Sabha unit president N. Balaji termed it unfortunate that the YSRCP sarpanches, the MPTCs and their supporters who decided to join the TDP were threatened with stopping the benefits of welfare schemes to their families. The TDP would protect those joining the party to end the YSRCP ‘‘misrule’‘.
TDP MLA from Parchur Yeluri Sambasiva Rao said the party would expose the ‘‘failures’‘ of the YSRCP government on various fronts ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the State ‘‘to see to that Mr. Naidu returns as the Chief Minister in 2024’‘.
