The Telugu Desam Party on Sunday staged a protest against the arrest of its party leaders including MLA Atchannaidu and former legislator JC Prabhakar Reddy.
TDP MLA Atchannaidu was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in connection with his alleged involvement in the ESI scam on Friday. On Saturday, TDP leader JC Prabhakar Reddy along with his son Ashmith was arrested for alleged irregularities in their private transport business.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, TDP chief and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu posted a video clip of him and other TDP leaders holding a torch against the arrest of Atchannaidu and JC Prabhakar Reddy.
“These actions are the result of non-cooperation between the forces of darkness and those of light. Darkness exists only in the absence of light and it’s only a matter of time when the light of truth will drive out the darkness of lies. #WeStandWithAtchannaidu #TDPWithJCFamily,” Chandrababu Naidu tweeted.
These actions are result of non cooperation between forces of darkness and those of light. Darkness exists only in the absence of light and it’s only a matter of time when the light of truth will drive out darkness of lies.#WeStandWithAtchannaidu#TDPWithJCFamily pic.twitter.com/BZXTsFyCYR
— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) June 14, 2020
Earlier, Chandrababu Naidu said Atchannaidu was being targetted because of his “relentless fight against the ruling party’s excesses and atrocities in sand, land and liquor scams”.
“In an inhuman way, the officials did not allow the TDP leader to take medicines as he was resting at his home after undergoing surgery recently,” said Chandrababu Naidu said.
The former CM also asked why the government sent 300 men to raid Atchannaidu’s residence during midnight hours and without prior intimation to his family members. Chandrababu alleged that police officials did not follow rules.
TDP alleges conspiracy behind Atchannaidu’s arrest
The TDP on Sunday alleged that the remand report has revealed how the YS Jagan Reddy-led government in Andhra Pradesh and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have carried out a “conspiracy” behind arrest and “ill-treatment” of former minister Atchannaidu.
The TDP condemned the “illegitimate manner” in which the Tekkali MLA was arrested without any proper legal notices or sufficient health precautions to guard against Covid-19.
“Hundreds of police surrounded his house and jumped over the walls to enter the premises of Atchannaidu to arrest him. Why was the MLA like a terrorist?” TDP spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram asked.
“Atchannaidu said on June 10 around noon, the Supreme Court passed serious strictures against Jagan Reddy’s misrule in the SEC Ramesh Kumar’s case. After this, within a few hours, the Labour Department Principal Secretary issued a memo to the ACB Director General, who showed undue haste to get an FIR registered by the DSP concerned by 11 pm on the same day. The very next day, the ACB officials questioned four persons and completed their probe in a single day on June 11. Then, followed the arrest of Atchannaidu in the early hours of the next day on June 12,” the TDP spokesperson said in a statement
The TDP said Atchannaidu was never asked to participate in any investigation before his arrest.
“Though Atchannaidu rebutted these allegations two months ago, he was never questioned or asked to participate in any investigation until now. He was arrested without any chance to hear him out,” the TDP spokesperson said.
