Telugu Desam reacts sharply to frisking of Naidu at airport

Asks Central and State governments to desist from being vindictive

June 16, 2019 01:10 am | Updated 01:10 am IST - Vijayawada

TDP leaders and cadres staging a protest at the GVMC in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

TDP leaders and cadres staging a protest at the GVMC in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

The frisking of former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the Gannavaram airport on Friday and “lowering his protection” were brazen acts of humiliation by the Central and State governments, alleged TDP Polit Bureau member R. Chandrasekhara Reddy on Saturday.

In a press release, Mr. Reddy said humiliation of Mr. Naidu started no sooner than the election results were announced.

He demanded that the Central and State governments give up their vindictive attitude, keeping in view Mr. Naidu’s seniority in national politics and the security risk involved.

Half-naked protest

Special Correspondent in Visakhapatnam writes:

Meanwhile, the TDP leaders and cadres staged a half-naked protest against the “security lapse” and treatment meted out to Mr. Naidu at the Gannavaram airport.

Frisking of Mr. Naidu like an ordinary passenger and not allowing him to reach the tarmac directly to board a flight were nothing short of humiliation, they alleged.

Visakhapatnam South MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar and his East counterpart V. Ramakrishnababu participated in the protest at the GVMC here. A poster showing the frisking of Mr. Naidu was displayed prominently at the protest site.

The security lapse should not have taken place as Mr. Naidu was on the hit list of the Maoists, Mr. Ganesh Kumar said. To avoid any possible attack, his vehicle should be directly allowed onto the tarmac, he added. Even the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Government had scaled down Mr. Naidu’s security, but it was restored after the intervention of the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, the MLA recalled.

Appeal to DGP

He appealed to DGP Gautam Sawang to intervene and restore the security cover for Mr. Naidu.

Mr. Kumar alleged that even in Amaravati, Mr. Naidu’s vehicle was not allowed direct passage at traffic junctions and the pilot vehicle was dispensed with.

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