Naidu’s publicity craze killing people: YSRCP

The ruling YSRCP has accused former chief minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu of “playing havoc with lives of innocent people by mobilising them in large numbers for his publicity craze”.

Three women were killed in a stampede at an event attended by Naidu in Guntur on Sunday to distribute sarees, and Sankranti gifts to the poor. The incident took place after Naidu left the spot.

This is the second stampede, occurring in four days, at Naidu’s event. Eight TDP supporters died in a stampede at a road show addressed by the Opposition leader in Kandukur town of Nellore district on Wednesday evening.

Andhra Pradesh Police have registered a case and reportedly detained Vuyyuru Srinivas Rao, an NRI TDP supporter, whose Vuyyuru Foundation in association with TDP had organised the “NTR Janata-vastralu” and “Chandranna Sankranti kanuka” distribution programme in Guntur town.

Launching a scathing attack on Naidu, former minister Perni Venkata Ramaiah (Nani) said, “TDP’s cheap politics of distributing gifts to the poor claimed the lives of three people, besides causing injuries to others.”

“Why did the TDP leaders issue 30,000 coupons to people when they have taken permission from the police to organise a public meeting with 10,000? This proves Naidu’s self-promotion mission activity,” Perni told reporters on Monday.

Expressing anguish over the Guntur incident, Naidu announced Rs five lakh assistance to the kin of the deceased from the TDP. “I attended the programme only to encourage the voluntary organisation trying to help the poor,” Naidu said in a press release.

Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy too expressed shock over the stampede at Guntur and announced an ex gratia of Rs two lakh each to kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured.

Accusing the YSRCP of resorting to the blame game, TDP AP unit president K Atchen Naidu asked “if it is not the duty of the state government to place proper security, crowd management arrangements in a public programme where the former chief minister was the chief guest?”