VISAKHAPATNAM: In an emotional outburst over the transfer of State Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha by the Election Commission, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here on Friday night claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared a war on him. Addressing a meeting at Kancharapalem Mettu as part of a roadshow, Naidu said those who got the Chief Secretary and the Intelligence DG transferred, were supporting ‘kodi kathi party’ (referring to YSRC), while criminals were being let off scot-free. He demanded that the Centre give a reason for the sudden transfer of the Chief Secretary.
“How can you transfer a chief secretary without citing any reason? I will see if they will arrest me tomorrow or the day after,” he thundered. The TDP chief repeatedly asked the gathering if he should bow to the diktats of Narendra Modi.
The role of the Election Commission was to conduct free and fair elections without being influenced by any political party, but it was transferring officials without rhyme or reason, he said and alleged that the Modi government was using the Election Commission to help the YSR Congress in the State. When 85 lakh votes went missing in the recent Telangana elections, the ECI had merely apologised for the lapse after the elections, he recalled.