VIJAYAWADA: State ministers lambasted TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu for his adverse remarks on the ruling YSRC and instigating violence in Punganur.Speaking to media persons in Vizianagaram on Saturday, Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana accused Naidu of trying to create unrest in the State by provoking his TDP cadres against the YSRC and police. “Punganur violence is an example of the former chief minister’s mischief. It is a black spot on his 40 years of political life,” Botcha observed.
Condemning the Punganur incident, he said, “Naidu has been provoking TDP cadres to create disturbances in the State. As a senior politician, Naidu should obey the law and order, instead of violating it for his political gains,” Botcha remarked and hoped that such incidents do not recur in the future.
Holding Naidu responsible for Punganur violence, in which 50 policemen were injured, Water Resources Minister Ambati Rambabu said the TDP cadre would not have resorted to arson without the consent of the party chief. “It is the unruly mob of TDP cadre which attacked police and created mayhem,” he alleged.
Ambati said, “It is the habit of Naidu to instigate violence whenever he is not in power and the Punganur incident reveals the distress of Naidu and his frustration over losing hold of the Kuppam constituency. For that very reason, he is targeting Energy Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and resorting to political conspiracies.”
The minister reiterated that Naidu has no moral right to speak on irrigation projects, especially those in Rayalaseema as no project was taken up even when the region was in the grip of severe drought. Civil Supplies Minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao alleged that Naidu had conspired to create a law and order problem in the State and it was evident with violence in Punganur.
Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh took exception to the abusive language of Naidu during his visit to Punganur. “If one observes Naidu’s speech, it is full of provocation and threatening words. The same was the case in his Pulivendula speech,” the MP pointed out.