VIJAYAWADA: The filing of nominations for elections to MPTCs and ZPTCs ended Wednesday amid a raging political battle between the ruling YSRC and the opposition TDP.
Though the nomination process was by and large smooth, violence marred it at quite a few places, most notably at Macherla in Guntur district, where TDP MLC Buddha Venkanna and former MLA Bonda Uma came under attack from YSRC activists.
The attack sparked a political slugfest with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu demanding an explanation from Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Director General of Police (DGP) D Gautam Sawang and accusing the ruling party of seeking to murder TDP leaders.
Trouble started in the afternoon when Venkanna, Uma and High Court advocate Para Kishore went to the Macherla police station on a fact-finding mission after activists of the party were injured in a clash with YSRC supporters on Tuesday. Narrating the sequence of events, Uma claimed that they had informed the Macherla police of their visit on Tuesday night itself.
“Police passed on the information to local YSRC MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy. Our vehicles were tailed from Karamchedu. As soon as we reached Macherla, YSRC supporters attacked the vehicle of the advocate and injured him. Later, around 30 YSRC goons surrounded our vehicle and attacked us. The car driver, Yesu, managed to steer the vehicle out of the mob,” Uma said at a press meet at the party office. The advocate, who suffered bleeding injuries, had to flee to the neighbouring Telangana State, the TDP leaders claimed and alleged a complete breakdown of law and order.
Flanked by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and colleague Venkanna, Uma said they were hounded till Veldurthi, 15 km from Macherla. A DSP-rank officer and his men shifted us to their vehicle and covered the windows with paper so we would not be seen from the outside.
“The Police said they would take us back to Macherla, but fearing for our lives, we said we want to proceed towards Ongole. Almost 200 people armed with hunting sickles, rods and lethal weapons surrounded the vehicle and tried to attack us, but the DSP whipped out his service revolver, threatened the mob and sent us back safely through narrow village roads,’’ he said.
A furious Naidu too lambasted the YSRC, asking, “Will you kill us all? I was also in power for 14 long years. Did this kind of situation arise in any constituency? Have the people no right to vote with freedom?” He termed the attack pre-planned.
“The YSRC government is crossing all limits. Who is responsible if the two leaders are killed? Does the DGP feel ashamed that the police too were beaten up?’’ he questioned.
Meanwhile, Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana maintained that TDP leaders went in a convoy of 10 vehicles and when one of the vehicles hit a boy, the locals surrounded and attacked them. He denied that the YSRC deliberately attacked the TDP leaders. “TDP is trying to create anarchy during the poll process. Chandrababu (Naidu) wants to create law and order problems as he knows he cannot win the elections. Why did Uma and Venkanna visit Macherla in 10 vehicles? To do what, goondagiri? We will not tolerate it if the TDP resorts to rowdyism,” he warned. Home Minister Sucharita said the TDP leaders did not inform the police of their visit to Macherla.
Later in the evening, Naidu led a rally to the DGP’s office and sat outside the police headquarters for some time before Additional DGP (Law and Order) Ravi Shankar Ayyanar came out, inspected the damaged vehicles and promised to take action against the perpetrators.
Three attackers arrested
DGP D Gautam Sawang directed South Coastal Zone Guntur Range IG J Prabhakar Rao to conduct a thorough inquiry. Prabhakar Rao said the police registered a suo motu case and identified three attackers as Turaka Kishore, Mallela Gopi and Bathula Nagaraju. All of them were arrested