VIJAYAWADA: The Nandyal III Town Police on Wednesday registered a case against YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy following a complaint lodged by Returning Officer Prasanna Venkatesh for his inflammatory comments against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while canvassing for the Nandyal bypoll. The case was registered under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 506 r/w 125 of Representation of People’s Act.
The returning officer (RO), who lodged the complaint and issued a warning letter to the YSRC chief, was acting on the direction of the Election Commission which had shot off a missive signed by principal secretary S K Rudola on Monday to Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal. The letter stated that Jagan’s comments were “provocative, in temperate as well as violative of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, which forbids statements connected with the private lives of leaders during election campaigns”.
The letter also said the Commission had “noted the inflammatory tone and tenor of the statement”, particularly the quote, “After observing the chief minister’s cunning, I feel he is a person who claims to be an orphan after killing his parents. There is nothing wrong in gunning down such a person in the middle of the road.”
Bhanwarlal told reporters that though the ECI’s letter was received on Monday and immediately sent to the Returning Officer, in view of the preparations for the election on Wednesday, it was not possible to issue a warning letter or file a complaint with the police on Tuesday, so it was done on the election day. He quickly added that there was no delay in following the instructions of the ECI. Naidu had taken exception to Jagan’s comments and his party’s senior leaders lodged a complaint with the ECI on the matter.
The Chief Electoral Office had on August 8 served notices on Jagan and written a letter to the ECI explaining why it had done so. On the directions of the Commission, relevant video clippings along with the translation of the speech were sent to the poll body.
TDP hails EC case against Jagan
Ministers Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, C Adinarayana Reddy, K Srinivaslu and N Amarnath Reddy expressed happiness over the Election Commission’s decision to direct the Nandyal Returning Officer to register a case against YSRC president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for his inflammatory comments against CM N Chandrababu Naidu. Somireddy, however, questioned the “secrecy maintained till today” on the matter.
Things turn ugly
Atmakur Bus Station remained tense on Wednesday with family members of contesting candidates Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy and Silpa Mohan Reddy resorting to heated arguments at the spot. Police rushed to the stand in large numbers in a bid to defuse the situation. YSRC candidate Silpa Mohan Reddy’s son Silpa Ravi Krishna Reddy rushed to the spot on being informed that A V Subba Reddy had roughed up one of their corporators. “As a general agent, I am visiting polling stations. A few minutes ago before the polling concluded, I saw NMD Farooq visiting the polling station against the rules. I pointed out the same and he became annoyed,” Silpa Ravi Krishna Reddy said and added that he asked his partymen not to allow outsiders into the polling station.