VIJAYAWADA: Ruling YSR Congress is up in arms against State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar for issuing orders confining panchayat raj minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy to his house.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, YSRC MLA and party official spokesperson Ambati Rambabu said the SEC has stepped out of his purview by passing such orders. He maintained that the election commissioner has no power to take such a decision of confining a public representative, as it amounts to violating the rights of people.
He charged that Ramesh Kumar has put curbs on Ramachandra Reddy only because he is active in Chittoor district from where TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu hails. Rambabu warned that strict action will be taken against officials who violate norms by implementing the SEC’s orders.
The MLA criticised the election commissioner for being vindictive and supporting the political interests of Telugu Desam. In this regard, he pointed out that no action has been taken against Chandrababu for releasing the TD manifesto for panchayat elections, though the polls are held on a non-party basis.
Rambabu stated that electing candidates unanimously is a common phenomenon in all states and not new to Andhra Pradesh too. He accused SEC of deliberately blowing non-issues out of proportion in a bid to corner the government at opposition TD’s behest.
