TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu told reporters in Delhi that his party raised the issue of the "illegal arrest" of Chandrababu Naidu.
Published Sep 18, 2023 | 12:54 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 18, 2023 | 12:54 PM
TDP leaders protesting. (TDP/ X)
The TDP has taken the war against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to Parliament, with its MPs condemning the arrest of their leader N Chandrababu Naidu on 9 September in Nandyal.
TDP MPs and former MPs protested against Naidu’s arrest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of the Parliament on Monday, 18 September, the first day of the commencement of its special session.
Holding placards, the MPs and former MPS raised slogans demanding justice.
In the middle, stood party general secretary Nara Lokesh, leading the demonstration. The special session of Parliament began on Monday and will be held till 22 September.
TDP Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas Nani alleged that Chief Minister Jagan was trying to tarnish the image of Naidu whose 45 years of public life was blemishless. “We are condemning his arrest,” he said.
Rebel YSRCP MP K Raghurama Krishna Raju, said that he was supporting the dharna at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament building complex as Naidu’s arrest was politically motivated.
At the all-party meeting convened by the Union government on Sunday, the TDP MPs raised the issue of Naidu’s arrest by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) and said it will also take it up in Parliament, amid objections by members of the YSRCP, which is in power in the state.
After the meeting a day before the five-day Parliament session began, TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu told reporters in Delhi that his party raised the issue of the “illegal arrest”. “We will raise this issue in Parliament as well,” he added.
చంద్రబాబు గారి అక్రమ అరెస్ట్ ని ఖండిస్తూ, పార్లమెంట్ ఆవరణలో టిడిపి ఎంపీల నిరసన. నిరసనలో పాల్గొన్న నారా లోకేష్, ఇతర టిడిపి నేతలు#TDPJSPTogether#APvsJagan#IAmWithBabu#PeopleWithNaidu#FalseCasesAgainstNaidu #CBNWillBeBackWithABang#SumanBoseExposesJagan#PsychoJaganExposed pic.twitter.com/JTtzfb81HD
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) September 18, 2023
The TDP MP said he also asked the government to take measures for fast-tracking criminal cases involving politicians, saying that Chief Minister was himself accused in 38 criminal cases and has been out on bail for the past nine years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised it, and the government should fulfil his promise, he said.
Sources said YSRCP leaders present in the meeting opposed the claim made by the TDP leader. The state’s ruling party has insisted that the law has taken its own course in the alleged corruption involving the former chief minister.
Ram Mohan Naidu expressed his thanks to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the senior representative for the government in the meeting, for letting him raise the issue.
Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh had said on Friday that the arrest by the Andhra Pradesh CID in the corruption case was an attempt by a “known corrupt” chief minister to hamper the party’s popular campaign to oust him from power.
Chandrababu Naidu is currently lodged in the Rajamahendravaram Central Prison after being remanded to judicial custody by a court last Sunday for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore corruption scam.
The Andhra Pradesh CID arrested Naidu from his caravan on 9 September, in the alleged ₹371 crore skill development corruption case, a move that also sparked statewide protests by TDP workers.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan on 16 September demanded to know where else should the TDP chief be lodged, if not in jail, after being caught with incriminating evidence in the skill development scam case.
The YSRCP chief said: “The law of the land is the same for all. Naidu was caught with incontrovertible evidence. His signature was found at 13 places in notefiles in the ₹371 crore scam.”
(With PTI inputs)
