Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State president Kimidi Kala Venkat Rao on Thursday asserted that they would not be cowed down by lathis and iron fences. The State government cannot suppress the agitation and prevent people from registering their protest.
Addressing a press conference in Guntur, Mr. Venkat Rao said that DGP Gautam Sawang only recently said that everyone has the right to protest in a democracy. The DGP now owes an explanation on why the bus yatra planned by Amaravati Parirakshana Samiti was stopped. TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders were not allowed to participate in the programme. “Is the right to protest only for YSR Congress workers or for everyone? The DGP has to clear the air on the guidelines in the police manual,” he said.
‘No truth in Botcha’s claim’
At another press conference, TDP official spokesperson Gurazala Malyadri said the government need not spend a rupee from the exchequer for construction of the capital. Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana says ₹1.09 lakh crore was required for the Capital.
The previous government had spent ₹10,000 crore on constructions. Of this, only ₹250 crore was the government’s share. The present government could follow a similar procedure. It could sell 10,000 acres of the total land pooled and invest it on the construction of the Capital, he said.
TDP leader Varla Ramaiah, at yet another press conference, said Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy evaded personal appearance in 28 instances before the CBI court. He was not Chief Minister when the cases were slapped against him.
The TDP would not keep quiet if Mr. Jagan used official paraphernalia while appearing before the court. He should not spend a rupee from the exchequer for the purpose, he added.
