The hungama over the inspection of a pantry van by the Kurnool district police on Friday evening at the behest of the Election Commission authorities following a complaint by the YSR Congress party leaders raised several questions.
For several hours, Sakshi media house and YSR Congress party leaders raised a hue and cry over a special vehicle of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu coming to Nandyal via Giddalur, alleging that it was carrying Rs 100 crore to be distributed among voters on the occasion of Nandyal by-elections.
Following the ruckus, the police intercepted the vehicle and after a lot of argument with the driver, they broke the lock in the presence of media persons and YSRC activists only to disclose that it was a pantry car in which food is prepared for Naidu who would be touring Nandyal for two days.
All that the van had some milk sachets, material for making rotis and rice, besides fruits and vegetables.
The YSR Congress party leaders and Sakshi had to shut their mouths for some time, though they took a different argument later that the police had failed to check other vehicles carrying the cash to Nandyal in the name of inspecting the pantry van for over an hour.
But what one failed to understand was whether Naidu really needed a separate pantry car for preparing food for him?
The chief minister made it several times in the past that he eats a very simple food every day and the menu is known to every one: fruits, pulkas, milk, a little fish and black tea without sugar.
Are they not available in Nandyal? Can’t the TDP leaders in Nandyal get him such a simple food? Is Heritage milk not available in the town? Does he not have faith on the food prepared in Nandyal? Is he feeling so much insecure?
Instead of raising these questions, the YSRC leaders made an issue out of nothing. What they failed to understand is that no chief minister’s vehicle carries such a huge amount of black money.
The ruling party will have various other ways to bribe the voters. Now, the opposition itself has given a weapon to the TDP to launch a counter—attack.
Who will believe the YSRC now, even if it says money was transferred in other vehicles, while the pantry van checking was going on?
