Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has accused the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) cadres of unleashing a reign of terror at the behest of Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy to scare away the voters on May 13, the polling day, fearing that the latter otherwise vote in favour of the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance en masse.
Addressing the media here on May 15 (Wednesday), Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said the attempt to murder TDP candidate from Chandragiri Assembly constituency Pulivarthi Venkata Maniprasad (Nani) was part of a conspiracy to wreak havoc during the elections. “The Election Commission of India (ECI) should have acted promptly, but it did not do it for various reasons,” he said.
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The TDP leader alleged that YSRCP leaders such as Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and Kethireddy Pedda Reddy were involved in the plan to incite violence during the elections. “At least now, the police should discharge their duties properly to ensure the maintenance of law and order,” he said.
TDP Polit Bureau member Varla Ramaiah accused the YSRCP leaders of perpetrating violence. “The violence perpetrated by the YSRCP was the Plan-B of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to instil fear among the voters. The YSRCP-backed goons even tried to capture polling booths but the people were undeterred and cast their votes in a resolute manner,” he said.
The TDP leaders alleged that the police remained mute spectators at many places.
There were 119 incidents of poll-related violence, which the TDP was taking to the notice of the Governor and the DGP, Mr. Ramaiah said.
TDP Narsaraopet MP candidate Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu alleged that the DGP never took the issues that jeopardised the law and order seriously.
Former Minister Nakka Anand Babu said it was evident from the incidents of violence that anti-social elements had a free run during the YSRCP regime and people were determined to end it.
“Anti-social elements from Telangana were behind such incidents at some places,” he alleged, and insisted that the TDP leaders were the main targets. Fourteen Assembly constituencies were identified as sensitive and four of them were in Palnadu but the police did little to maintain peace, he said.
