A day after he was sent back to Andhra Pradesh along with his supporters, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu today accused the Maharashtra government of treating him and his party workers as “political prisoners” during their five-day detention at Dharmabad.
“The Maharashtra government did not treat us as elected public representatives. It only treated us as political prisoners,” Mr. Naidu said while addressing a dharna in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Assembly premises here today.
The dharna was organised to denounce the Maharashtra government’s “misbehaviour” against Naidu and the party MLAs during their detention when they went to inspect the Babhli irrigation project.
“They tried to physically and mentally intimidate us. They tried to torment us in all ways possible. I have not come across such an atrocious situation in my 32-year-old political career,” he alleged.
Hitting out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, the TDP chief said, “He is the most inefficient CM the state has ever had. He is so shameless that he remained a silent spectator when his fellow legislators from the state were treated so inhumanly by the neighbouring state.”
Mr. Rosaiah has no authority to continue in his position, Mr. Naidu said.
“It’s only due to God’s grace and blessings of Mahatma Gandhi that TDP legislators returned alive from Maharashtra. The whole episode was an affront to Telugu pride and a grave insult to the entire Telugu people,” he added.
