Chandrababu Naidu flays rising attacks on Dalits, others

Vijayawada: Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu criticised the AP government for the 'deteriorating law and order' in the State and the increasing attacks not only on Dalits but also on temples. He said the TDP leaders and cadres too were being targeted for differing with the views of the government or for criticising the CM.

Referring to the Ramatheertham temple issue on Wednesday, he said it was absurd that the name of the trustee, Ashok Gajapati Raju, was removed from the sign board. Raju deserved due protocol being the trustee of the temple in all temple programmes and it was unfortunate that the government was hounding him for so long, he noted.

'Ashok Gajapati Raju was dropped from the chairman post of Mansas Trust, a family owned trust of Raju, which had donated huge property for it for maintenance. The government had no right to reject the donation offered by Ashok Gajapati,' he pointed out. Chandrababu also questioned the lack of progress in the case of the attack on Ramatheertham temple by some culprits, who disfigured a statue of Lord Rama in the temple a few months ago. No action was taken against anyone in the case, he said.

A press release of the TDP, meanwhile, demanded a National Human Rights Committee probe into the alleged attacks on Dalits in the State and also by the National Commission of Scheduled Castes.