CM fumes at raids, stages sit-in

Vijayawada: With just five days left for polling day, Andhra Pradesh has witnessed a spurt in selective Income Tax and police raids targeting the houses of TDP leaders and candidates contesting in Assembly elections.

Upset over this vindictive attitude of the Centre, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday staged a protest at Ambedkar statue at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram here on Friday against the harassment. He alleged that the Modi government colluded with YSRCP leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and has been resorting to vindictive measures against TDP leaders.

He said that he launched the protest at Ambedkar statue as the Modi government has been violating constitutional guidelines.As mark of protest, the Chief Minister released black balloons with photos of Modi and Jagan into air at Ambedkar statue.

The TDP chief said the Modi government has been harassing TDP leaders when they are busy in election campaign through I-T raids. He said that he launched Save Democracy and Save Constitution campaign to protect the democracy.

He said when we are demanding fulfilment of assurances made during the bifurcation of the state, the Modi government has been harassing the AP government. He also referred to the police raids on the house of party leader and MP C M Ramesh on Friday morning and cautioned people to be alert as many more acts of harassment were possible as the Election Commission was acting under pressure from the Centre in connivance with YSRCP.

He said the Modi government had resorted to harassment of leaders in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and ordered I-T raids on Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav who were fighting unitedly to rout BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The Chief Minister said Narendra Modi was under the mistaken impression that all this would help him gain political mileage.