TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday took objection to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s comments on State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar.
Addressing the media at the party office in Guntur on Sunday, Mr. Naidu refuted the Chief Minister’s charge that Mr. Ramesh Kumar was his choice.
The TDP government had recommended the name of C.R. Biswa to the post of the SEC. The then Governor, E.S.L. Narasimhan, however, had recommended the name of Mr. Ramesh Kumar to the post. Hence, he was appointed.
“For his political interests, the Chief Minister is attributing the appointment to me,” Mr. Naidu said.
“Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy has spoken in an irresponsible manner and exhibited his ignorance before the media. How can the Chief Minister intimidate the Election Commission? Who gave him absolute powers? The Election Commission is an independent institution. The election code is applicable to all the political parties,” Mr. Naidu said.
More than one lakh people contracted coronavirus globally and more than 5,000 people died, he said.
“Except for pharma companies, everything has been shut down in China and Italy. While this is the threat perception, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy seems to have no concern for people’s safety,” Mr. Naidu said.
“The Chief Minister has no right to play with the lives of people. Are elections more important than people’s lives? Hospitals will not be sufficient if coronavirus spreads in the country,” he said.
“Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy feels that he will be Chief Minister forever. People will show him his place if he resorts to such politics,” Mr. Naidu added.
Referring to the violence in the conduct of the local body elections, he said the police foisted cases against the Opposition leaders. The police were unfit to perform election duty. Paramilitary forces should be deployed while conducting the elections, he observed.
Reacting to Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s comments that the Finance Commission would not release the funds if the local body elections were not held by March 31, Mr. Naidu said, “We will write a letter to the Central government, requesting it to take steps to release the funds.”
