The hue and cry being raised by Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu over the alleged violent attacks by YSR Congress party leaders in the TDP cadres and former MLAs has been blown up in the media sympathetic to him.
Naidu went to the extent of opening a “rehabilitation centre” at the party headquarters in Guntur district for “the victims of attacks by YSRCP activists”, particularly in Palnadu region.
Naidu alleged that so far seven TDP activists were killed. Many other functionaries, including former MLA, were attacked, abused and charged with false cases, he said and asked why the police had not visited the villages and ensure protection to the victims.
He even gave a call for “Chalo Palnadu” rally by the party cadre and the victims of alleged YSRC attacks from Guntur. He said the party’s legal cell will fight cases for the victims.
He even challenged the YSRC government to register a case against him before touching his party men.
However, independent inquiries revealed that there had been no political violence in Palnadu region, except local faction feuds which had been very common in the area.
“During the TDP regime in the last five years, such violent incidents had been taking place in a big way, but those involved in the attacks used to get away with the support of then ruling party,” a local leader said.
However, after the YSRC came to power in May this year, those who indulged in violence in the past themselves had fled the villages, fearing that there would be retaliatory attacks.
“Strictly speaking, if one would go by the local media reports, one can notice that there had been no major incidents of violence by YSRC leaders or cadre. The TDP supporters themselves had left the villages on their own fearing violence. They are all now complaining to Naidu, who is trying to gain political mileage by making a big issue out of it,” the locals said.
