I-T raids: a bitter Naidu asks EC to bat for YSRCP

Terming the decisions taken by the Election Commission of India against Andhra Pradesh officials as draconian, unilateral and aimed at benefitting BJP and the YSRCP, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday asked the EC to go ahead and campaign for YSRCP in the state instead. He also staged a protest in front of the EC office and Guntur Collectorate.

The reaction came after the Commission transferred an IPS officer and two Circle inspectors and the I-T department raided Guntur MP Galla Jayadev of TDP. Naidu submitted a nine-page letter addressed to the ECI to the Chief Electoral Officer Gopala Krishna Dwivedi at the state secretariat in Amaravati.

"One must remember that 66 civil servants wrote to President questioning the decreasing repute of the EC. We also objected to the appointment of KK Sharma a RSS man shunted out of West Bengal as Law and Order Observer here, but no action. But when YSRCP or BJP complain, the action is taken within hours, so why not EC come here and campaign for YSRCP?" questioned Naidu.

Earlier, the chartered accountant of the Guntur MP Galla Jayadev who was returning after submitting day-to-day expenses to the EC was taken into custody and kept under house arrest. "The searches were taking in three places where my election teams are staying. If the EC is impartial let them search places of opposition leaders in AP. It is nothing but political vendetta for questioning PM Modi in Parliament," the MP said.

Prakasam district Superintendent of Police Koya Praveen was transferred and replaced with Siddharth Kaushal. Praveen has not been given any assignment. The EC also transferred Mangalagiri and Tadepalli inspectors of police who come under Mangalagiri Assembly constituency where Naidu's son Lokesh is contesting. The transfers were effected hours after the campaign for the 11 April election ended on Tuesday evening.

The EC had so far transferred Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha, intelligence chief AB Venkateswara Rao, Kadapa SP Rahul Dev Sharma, and Srikakulam SP Venkata Rathnam. DGP RP Thakur was relieved of ACB additional responsibilities.