YSR Congress accuses Naidu of violating lockdown norms

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, May 26

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has demanded action against former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for violating lockdown and quarantine norms as he arrived in the state after being in Hyderabad for two months.

“Instead of his house in Amravati, he should be sent to a government quarantine facility like everyone else entering the state,” some YSRCP leaders have said.

Naidu was in his Jubilee Hills residence for the past two months and was to fly to Vijayawada on Monday, but the cancellation of flights delayed his departure and he reached Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The reaction of the YSRCP leaders was triggered after Naidu stopped his convoy at Vijayawada, where he received a rousing reception.

The YSRCP leaders alleged that Naidu violated the lockdown norms as social distancing was not maintained and the people who greeted him were not even wearing masks. Some went to the extent of demanding that he be sent to quarantine for 14 days.

“Since he came from a red zone area and crossed over from another state, he should be quarantined,” said YSRCP leader G Srikant Reddy.

In a letter to Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang, the ruling party leader said Naidu’s followers gathered around his convoy without maintaining physical distance and without wearing masks.

Another YSRCP leader from Kadapa sought action against Naidu for deliberately violating Covid-19 lockdown rules and exposing thousands to coronavirus risk.

Naidu drew the ire of the YSRCP after he addressed a press briefing over video conferencing from Hyderabad in which he criticised the ruling YSRCP of failing to deal with the pandemic.

The ruling party in return taunted the former Chief Minister saying he was maintaining “social distancing” by staying 300 km away from the state.

YSRCP leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said nobody had stopped the TDP chief from returning to the state but he preferred to remain in Hyderabad and when he finally returned, he violated all lockdown norms.

State DGP had allowed Naidu to enter AP on May 24 and Naidu’s party had announced that he would visit Visakhapatnam on May 25 to console the families of the 12 people who died on May 7 due to gas leak in the LG Polymers. However, since his flight was cancelled on Monday, he arrived a day late.

TDP leader K Atchan Naidu alleged that the flight resumption was deliberately postponed by YSRCP to prevent Naidu from visiting Visakhapatnam.

TDP’s senior leader and former minister Devineni Uma claimed that Naidu had not violated any lockdown norms and the reaction of the ruling party was only a sign of their nervousness at Naidu’s proposed visit to the families of the gas leak victims.