Jagan government bans road shows after stampede; Oppn calls it atrocious

The Jaganmohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh has prohibited the holding of public meetings and rallies on highways, municipal and Panchayat roads across the state, following the back-to-back stampede incidents at opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu's events.

In the last few days, Chandrababu Naidu's events at Kandukur and Guntur together claimed 11 lives.

The TDP termed the Government Order as reflective of Jagan's “dictatorial mentality, depriving people of their democratic rights.”

The TDP chief is on a statewide tour addressing rallies and road shows and attacking the YSRCP government in the run-up to the Assembly polls scheduled next year.

Also Read — Yet another stampede at TDP event in Andhra Pradesh, 3 killed

The orders issued by the state home department, under the Police Act 1861 provisions, reportedly cited the Kandukur incident on December 28 where eight TDP supporters died in a stampede at Naidu addressed roadshow.

TDP politburo member and MLA Gorantla Butchaiah said that the YSRCP government issued the GO based on the provisions of the 1861 Police Act, “then implemented by the Britishers, and now totally outdated.”

The TDP MLA accused Jagan of “trying to stifle the opposition voice, unable to digest the enormous public response to Naidu's meetings.”

“By issuing such GOs Jagan is trying to cover up his failures, growing anti-incumbency,” Gorantla said on Tuesday.

Expressing doubts about the 'YSRCP government conspiracy behind the Kandukur and Guntur incidents' the senior TDP leader demanded a CBI probe into the two stampedes “to bring the facts to light.”

“Naidu publicity-crazy”

Meanwhile, Chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy again attacked Naidu over the stampede incidents, calling him “publicity-crazy.”

On Tuesday, Jagan addressed a public meeting at Rajahmundry, after formally launching the hiked social welfare pensions from Rs 2,500 to Rs 2,750 from this month.

“While I am feeling proud to implement my election manifesto, hiking social pensions that benefit the downtrodden like differently-able, widows, aged, AIDS-affected, bed-ridden people and even dialysis patients, the publicity-crazy Naidu is drawing pleasure conducting meetings, road shows in congested areas for photo shoots and drone footage and thereby causing stampedes and allowing people to die,” the CM said.