Drones over TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu's house kick up row
VIJAYAWADA: Controversy broke out on Friday morning after two unidentified persons were found flying drones over the rented residence of the former chief minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, located on the banks of swelling Krishna river at Undavalli.
The TDP leaders alleged that the State government was compromising the security of Naidu, who has Z+ security.
However, the government clarified that the drones were engaged by the Water Resources department to analyse the flood situation.
In the evening, ministers Botcha Satyanarayana (Municipal Administration), P Anil Kumar Yadav (Water Resources) and Vellampalli Srinivas (Endowment) inspected the flood situation along Karakatta and went to the residence of Naidu.
They were stopped by TDP cadres and the guards, prompting them to leave.
Satyanarayana said the responsibility of evacuating people from the flood-affected areas lies with the government. “We came here to study the ground reality and it is better for the TDP not to politicise the issue,’’ he asserted.
“Many parts of the Karakatta region across Krishna river were inundated with increased inflows from upstream.
It is the responsibility of the government to evacuate people and shift them to safer places.
But, the TDP leaders are playing cheap politics by claiming that the drones were deployed to monitor Naidu’s residence, which is in the middle of the Karakatta region. Seeing the floods, Chandrababu ran away to Hyderabad,’’ Anil Kumar said.
Stating that both Naidu and former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao were making baseless allegations, the minister said if anything happens to Naidu’s residence due to floods, they would again blame the government. However, the TDP leaders alleged conspiracy behind the incident.
“The Water Resources Ministry gets clear information about the water levels in reservoirs and issues warnings accordingly.
While the government is claiming that those operating drones were hired by the Water Resources department, the duo caught by the TDP cadre revealed that they were flying drones at the behest of one Kiran from the Chief Minister’s Office,’’ the TDP leaders alleged.
They wondered whether permission was taken from the aviation department as well as the officials concerned before operating the drone over the residence of a leader enjoying Z+ security.
Naidu, during a teleconference with party leaders, alleged that the YSRC government has miserably failed in flood management.
“Despite the fact that there are no rains in AP and the floods are due to heavy rain in the upper catchment areas, the government stored water and created flash floods by releasing water all of a sudden.
Such a situation would not have happened if it released 3 lakh cusecs of water in advance. How can the government play politics with floods and inundate people out of vendetta against me?
How can you operate drones over the residence of former Chief Minister, who enjoys Z+ security?
Will you operate drones above the residence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy?’’ Naidu asked.
Earlier in the day, TDP leaders and cadres who gathered outside Naidu’s residence entered into an altercation with police following which the latter resorted to lathi-charge to disperse them.
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh alleged that the YSRC leaders were making continuous efforts to inundate the residence of Naidu by obstructing water flow from Prakasam Barrage.
He also sought to know if Jagan, while leaving for the US, asked his party leaders to create threat to Naidu’s life.
Guntur Range Inspector General, in a statement, said Karakatta area is sensitive in view of the presence of residences of VVIPs. As such, permission should be obtained from the concerned SP for using drones in the area, he maintained.
TDP legislators to complain to DGP, meet Governor
TDP MLAs and MLCs will call on the DGP on Saturday and lodge a complaint. Similarly, deputy floor leaders of TDLP, MPs and MLAs will meet Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan on Monday and submit a memorandum.