PARVATHIPURAM (VIZIANAGARAM) : Breaking his 24-day long silence on the murderous attempt on his life in the Visakhapatnam airport, YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu conspired to eliminate him and scripted the attack. He went on to add that the conspiracy took shape in March itself after his padayatra started evoking tremendous response from people.
Addressing a huge gathering in Parvathipuram as part of his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, the first public meeting after the attack on him on October 25, Jagan minced no words in blaming Naidu for the ‘conspiracy’ to eliminate him. “Naidu can stoop to any depths for political gains. He can even eliminate the Opposition Leader. What is my fault? My fault is that I am exposing and fighting against his corrupt governance,” Jagan said.
Narrating the sequence of events in his one-hour long address amid slogans ‘CM CM’ from the gathering, the YSRC chief said the conspiracy unfolded in March when his party took up the Special Category Status issue. “On March 8, the TDP pulled out from the Union Cabinet and on March 22, it came up with the ‘Operation Garuda’ plot. The plot, though narrated by a cine actor (Shivaji), was in fact scripted by Naidu.
In his press meet, the actor said that the Opposition Leader would come under attack and the State would witness anarchy and the government would fall and the BJP would be branded conspirator,” Jagan said. The plan was executed in the airport so that the responsibility (of security) would not be on the State government. “If the plan fails, then they can claim that it is part of Operation Garuda,” Jagan said.
The YSRC supremo said the DGP, Home Minister and Cabinet ministers were ready with the script prepared by the Chief Minister one hour before the attack on him and they came out saying that the attacker was a YSRC supporter. “As part of the script, they came up with a flex allegedly put up by the attacker. Surprisingly, it did not have the picture of either YS Rajasekhara Reddy or Vijayamma. It, however, had a picture of ‘Garuda’ at the top,’’ Jagan said, indicating that the conspirators tried to project the attack as part of ‘Operation Garuda’.
He said the owner of Fusion Foods restaurant located in the Visakhapatnam airport was a close aide of Naidu and wondered as to how the worker could sneak weapons inside the airport, if there was no conspiracy involved in the attack on him. Jagan asked as to how the letter was recovered from the accused hours after the attack when the CISF security personnel, who frisked him thoroughly soon after the incident, found nothing. “The DGP released the letter 10 hours after the attack and it did not have a single fold. And surprisingly, it had two-three different handwritings,’’ Jagan said.
The Opposition Leader, however, did not name the attacker, J Srinivasa Rao, in his speech. Jagan said the CCTVs in the airport stopped functioning from August when his padayatra had entered Visakhapatnam district.
“After hatching the conspiracy, Naidu came up with the theory that my mother and sister were behind the attack. I don’t think a person can stoop to such a level,” he said. “Even after I left for Hyderabad, Naidu spread lies that I first went to my residence and then, after some BJP leaders called me, I got admitted myself to hospital. I am guarded by policemen from the State government. The State police pilot my vehicle. Are you not aware of this fact?’’ he questioned.
Referring to the recent GO barring the CBI from investigating cases in AP, Jagan said Naidu did this as he demanded for an independent inquiry into the attack on him. “You, along with the then Congress government, got cases registered against me by the CBI. In your eyes the CBI was a good investigating agency then and now you are against it as you fear that the agency may investigate corruption cases you are involved in,’’ the YSRC leader said.
On Naidu’s moves to garner the support of national parties, Jagan said all the parties were UPA allies and they were opposed to the BJP. “I am putting a straight question to all those parties, which are likely to take part in Dharma Porata Deeksha like ‘Gangireddulu’ (decorated bulls). Naidu lured 23 YSRC MLAs into his party fold and made four of them ministers without asking them to resign. Is this not a violation of Constitution? Is this Dharma Poratam?’’ he asked.
“Nowadays, Naidu is seen more in other States than in AP and he has now entered into a new marriage alliance with the Congress.” “Before 2014 elections, Naidu said the Congress was a threat to the country. Now, he is saying Congress is the protector of the country. Then Sonia (Sonia Gandhi) was a Godse and now suddenly she has become a Devata (Goddess). Earlier, Naidu called Congress ‘Avineethi Anaconda’ (anaconda of corruption) and now the same party is ‘Anandala Konda’,’’ Jagan quipped.
Jagan asked to attend court on nov 23
Visakhapatnam: On a day when Opposition Leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy spoke for the first time on the attack on him, the VII Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, Visakha-patnam, issued summons to the YSR Congress chief to attend and produce the blood-stained shirt worn by him at the time of the attack in court on November 23.
‘Naidu is a bigger demon than ravana’
Referring to the CM’s recent address at an Asha workers meeting where he said that every mother should tell her child about him (Naidu), Jagan said Naidu need not worry about this as every mother tells her child about demons like Ravana, Narakasura and others. “You are a bigger demon and your governance is more anarchic than that of demons,’’ Jagan said.