Hyderabad: YSRCP president and Leader of the Opposition in AP Assembly Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy today tried to put Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the mat by cornering the government in failing to take action against TDP leaders for their alleged misdemeanors against women.
Speaking after Chandrababu Naidu’s statement in the House in connection with the International Women’s Day being observed all over world today, Jagan seized the opportunity to embarrass the ruling TDP by raising various incidents in the recent past wherein women were subjected to humiliation allegedly by TDP leaders and yet they were not brought to the book so far.
Reeling out instances in this regard, the YSRCP leader referred to the alleged stalking of a woman teacher by Sushil, son of Social Welfare Minister Revala Kishore Babu and also about the humiliating and derogatory comments made by actor-turned-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, the TDP MLA from Hindupur and brother-in-law of the Chief Minister. Apart from these incidents, Jagan also recalled an incident in which a woman MRO of IAS cadre was allegedly slapped by a TDP legislator and the suspension of film star and YSRCP member Roja for one year from the Assembly.
Recalling these incidents amidst frequent interruptions and loud protests from the treasury benches, Jagan lashed out the Chief Minister for not taking any action against the “misconduct” of the TDP members and allowing them to remain as members of the Assembly only to tarnish the image of the august House. What is more shocking is that the Chief Minister was eulogizing the role of women and their empowerment while not bringing to book his own party members for degrading and disrespecting women, he quipped.
Even as a visibly shaken and upset Chandrababu Naidu sat sullen for being cornered by the Opposition leader, the TDP members made a hue and cry and launched a tirade against Jagan. Minister Revala Kishore Babu tried to defend himself by accusing Jagan of master-minding to his tarnish image by falsely implicating his son. Reiterating that his son was innocent and that the law would take its own course of action against his son if found guilty, he said as a matter of fact he himself had produced and handed his son over to the police.
TDP member Chintamaneni Prabhakar, who is accused of slapping a woman MRO, accused the Opposition leader of misleading the House. As a matter of fact, Tahsildar Vanajakshi was mobbed by DWACRA women members and the official had not named him in her complaint to the police, he explained and added that Jagan, who has scant respect for women has no moral right to talk about their well-being.
Another TDP member Balakrishna too responding to the criticism by the Leader of the Opposition, explained that he had neither wittingly or unwittingly humiliated women for whom he had great respect and admiration. The incident that had provoked the so-called controversy had taken place at a filmi function and he had spoken on that occasion in a filmi style about what his fans expected him as a hero in a film. He hoped his words spoken at the film function would not be misconstrued and misunderstood. (NSS)
Jagan corners Naidu over minister’s son ‘stalking’
