Chandrababu Naidu: Oppn welcomes apex court's order on Panchayat Elections

Amaravati: TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court judgement that has come in favour of holding the panchayat election in the state. Naidu asserted that after coming to power, the ruling YSRCP has been committing unchecked constitutional violations in many instances. No system or institution was being allowed to function peacefully and normally. Hurdles were being created at every step.

In a statement here, the former chief minister said that all the four pillars of democracy, legislature, judiciary, executive and the media, were undermined with the ruling party leaders issuing continuing threats to the heads of the constitutional institutions. Out of political vindictiveness, a Bill was passed to abolish the Legislative Council altogether. The honest and committed officers were being targeted and harassed. The judiciary and the courts were coming under unforeseen attacks. The judges were being threatened. The State Election Commission was ignored. The State Election Commissioner was unduly criticised in the name of caste, he said.

Naidu said the Supreme Court order would go a long way in upholding the democracy in the state adding that the apex court's order should serve as an eye-opener for the "fascist and anarchic" Jagan Mohan Reddy regime.

He stressed the need for conducting a free and fair election for the panchayats for which all necessary steps should be taken. "The polls should be held in an unbiased manner without any scope for irregularities and intimidation. The kind of violence and the ruling party's harassment that was witnessed in the March last year should not be allowed to be repeated this time," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP state general secretary P Vishnuvardhan Reddy while welcoming the Supreme Court order on panchayat elections said that the elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner. He said once the elections were completed, the panchayats would get Central funds. He said the unanimous elections declared earlier should be cancelled and polls should be conducted afresh.