This is democracy not a dictatorship, says Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy

Nellore: Condemning the state government for banning rallies and public meetings on roads, TDP politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said this is not a dictatorship but a democracy where people can move anywhere in the democracy. Addressing the media here on Tuesday, the state government brought for the first time this undemocratic rule that curtails the freedom of people. "If the same orders had been in force in the past, the country would not have achieved independence. At that time, all the campaigns of Mahatma Gandhi were on the roads," he remarked.

He said after casting his vote in the recent Gujarat elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked on the road with thousands of people, putting aside security. With the orders brought by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, he mockingly said protests should now be held in the fields, canals and ponds in villages.

The TDP senior leader said the Guntur incident was unfortunate, and within 10 minutes of the incident, a minister reached the spot. Now the orders were given midnight, raising suspicions that there was a conspiracy behind all these developments.

Chandramohan Reddy said this is not a dictatorship to give orders at one's whims and fancies. Any political leader lives among the people and grows up among the people, he added.

He said CM Jagan Mohan Reddy did not have the courage to come directly to the people and if he wants to come on to the roads, all the shops were being closed, barricades are erected and rope parties were being sent deployed, but TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh and other TDP leaders are going wherever they want to go without all this fanfare.

The TDP leader said ruling party leaders were not able to digest the public response to Naidu's roadshows and meetings, hence issued these orders. He asserted that in the country everyone has the right to protest, hold meetings and asked whether AP is not a part of India.