State Election Commission surrendered to YSRCP's threats in GP polls: TDP
TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah
Mangalagiri: TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah on Friday demanded the State Election Commission (SEC) to act independently and take all the necessary stringent measures to conduct the remaining three phases of the panchayat elections in a free and fair manner.
He deplored that in the first phase polls, the SEC surrendered to the psychological blackmail and the mind games of the YSRCP leaders. The Chief Minister intimidated the SEC in the name of caste and targeted his efficiency. As a result, the SEC could not effectively carry out its constitutional duties to ensure a peaceful election.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, the TDP leader said that their party was totally dissatisfied over the way in which the Election Commission let go of minister Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy though he threatened to put the IAS, IPS and All India Officers in blacklist, if they cooperated with the SEC. The Election Commission did not even bother to go in appeal against the High Court order giving relief to Peddireddi.
Ramaiah deplored that the SEC could not act properly even though the YSRCP leaders misused the official machinery to ensure forced unanimous elections in 69 out of 83 panchayats in minister Peddireddi'sPunganur assembly segment.
The YSRCP got over 76 out of the total 77 panchayats unanimously elected in Macherla segment. This would not happen in any other State in the country.
The TDP leader strongly objected to the recent comments by minister Kodali Nani against former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Nani was forgetting that he was in a respectable position and he was talking irresponsibly.
The minister's comments were unpardonable and unbecoming of a decent political leader. The Chief Minister was responsible for all this as he had threatened to take action against the ministers and MLAs who would not get 90 percent results in the panchayat elections in their respective segments.
Ramaiah demanded the SEC to disqualify MLA Jogi Ramesh because he had openly threatened to cancel the government pensions and benefits to the voters, if they do not support the YSRCP candidates.