Vijayawada: Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu drew flak for the death of 11 persons and injuries to many in stampedes at two of his public meetings — at Kandukur in Nellore district and Guntur in recent days.
Naidu was blamed for acting in crazy manners to get publicity for himself at a time in anticipation of the assembly elections in 2024 and with the aim of returning to power. However, the Telugu Desam said the party suspected a conspiracy against Naidu and the TD by the YSRC government.
Notably, in the case of both Kandukur and Guntur, the arrangements made for Naidu’s meetings were insufficient in view of the large turnout of people. In Sunday’s event in Guntur, the public mood was whipped up by the offer of free kits and clothes.
In the case of the Guntur meeting, Naidu along with the organisers was blamed for issuing tokens for about 30,000 people in advance, to give them freebies but failing to ensure proper arrangements to avoid unruly situations.
Former minister and MLA Kodali Venkateswara Rao held Naidu responsible for the death of three persons there and wondered as to why he failed to ensure safety of the people thronging the area for the free kits. He called Naidu a ‘Jamatha Dasamagraham’.
Recalling how Naidu wept inconsolably before the media alleging that critical remarks were made against his wife in the assembly in 2019, former minister Nani asked him whether the women who attended his meeting were lesser beings compared to his wife, children and his daughter-in-law.
Minister for tourism and culture R.K. Roja faulted the former chief minister for inviting women with a promise to offer gifts during the festive time and causing deaths. She said women in the meeting felt nervous that they might not get the kits and the queues were large, and rushed to collect them, resulting in stampede.
Roja alleged that Naidu was practising the “politics of death.”
She noted that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy gave away 32 lakh house site pattas and took up a padayatra for 3,648 km without any incident even as lakhs of people turned up to express their support to him.
However, Telugu Desam state president K. Atchannaidu said, “We have taken permission for a gathering of 30,000 people with an intention to give them freebies in Guntur. It was the responsibility of the government to provide protection through the police. The police failed to control the crowds at Kandukur and Guntur, resulting in the stampede. We suspect this was part of a conspiracy by the state government to defame our leader and the TD.”
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