VIJAYAWADA: Lashing out at Pinnelli brothers, TDP Politburo member Varla Ramaiah accused them of not only slighting the TDP booth agent with casteist slur, but also threatening to ‘eliminate’ him and his family members.
Speaking to mediapersons along with TDP booth agent Nomula Manikya Rao and advocate Gudapati Lakshminarayana, on Sunday, Varla said, “The situation in Macherla is worse than Chambal Valley.”
Later in the day, they met the Director General of Police and complained against Pinnelli brothers.
“The atrocities of Pinnelli brothers are coming to light one by one. Police are also gearing up to bring them to book. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who always says my SCs, my STs, my BCs and my minorities, is not able to rein in his party legislator,” he said.
“Attack on Manikya Rao, a Dalit from Pennelli’s native village, is a glaring example of feudal arrogance and the mindset of Pinnelli brothers, On the polling day, Manikya Rao was humiliated in the name of caste for sitting as a TDP agent in the polling booth. He was attacked with sticks. Police remained mute spectators during the attack,” Varla said.
The attacks on Manikya Rao’s family members were filmed to be shown to him to intimidate the TDP agent, he said.
Fearing for his life, Manikya Rao had fled his native village, and has been staying away from his family for the past two weeks. Both the DGP and the Election Commission of India should take stern action against Pinnelli brothers for attacking the TDP agent, he said.
Narrating his harrowing experience, Manikya Rao said he was shown the video of the physical harassment of his family members to throw him out of the polling booth.
“I could not bear to see and hear the way Pinnelli Venkatarami Reddy, brother of Macherla YSRC MLA Ramakrishna Reddy, mistreated my family members. I urged trainee DSP Jagadeesh to save them. Moreover, Pinnelli brothers attacked me in the presence of the DSP and asked the police officer to leave the place,” he said.
Manikya Rao further said the DSP at that time took him and three other TDP agents to Veldurthi police station, directed the personnel there to protect us and left the place.
However, the police there refused to take our complaints against the attack of Pinnelli brothers. After that, he was taken to TDP contestant Julakanti Brahmananda Reddy. Later he went to Hyderabad and returned to the State today, Manikya Rao added.