VIJAYAWADA: TDP Politburo member and MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary on Tuesday came down heavily on the YSRC government for issuing a GO prohibiting rallies and public meetings on national and State highways and also on municipal and panchayat roads, which he termed a New Year gift to people.
Butchaiah said GO No 1 was issued based on the provisions of the 1861 Police Act implemented by the British, which is totally outdated. “This amounts to maligning the democracy and it reflects the factionist mentality of Chief Minster YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The GO, which deprives the people of their democratic rights, has once again proved Jagan’s dictator mentality,” he observed.
Accusing Jagan of trying to stifle the voice of the Opposition as he is unable to digest the huge response to the meetings of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, he felt that by issuing such a GO the CM is only making efforts to cover up his failures. Suspecting the State government’s ‘conspiracy’ behind the stampedes in Kandukur and Guntur, the MLA demanded that a CBI probe be ordered into the two incidents.
Butchaiah asked whether the State government will provide enough security to the meetings of Naidu as per 304(2) and 304(10) of the Standing Orders of the Police Manual. “Till now people are under the impression that Jagan is taking shelter behind curtains and barricades, but now it is understood that he is taking shelter behind the GOs too,” he remarked.
Butchaiah asked whether the same norms mentioned in the GO are applicable to Jagan and his ministers. He wanted to know under which law, the Opposition leaders are being detained to prevent them from taking part in protests.