Increase security cover for Congress leaders: Gudur

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy demanded increase in the security cover for all top leaders of Congress party in the State including Z-security for TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy.

"The Election Commission of India should direct Security Review Committee (SRC) to conduct a fresh review of threat perception to Congress leaders in view of next Assembly elections. Many Congress leaders, including TPCC President Capt. Uttam Kumar Reddy, are prone to attacks like the one that happened on YSRCP Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy at Vizag Airport. The State Government has withdrawn the security cover of ex-MLAs Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and A. Sampath Kumar. Further, TPCC Working President A. Revanth Reddy has already approached court seeking additional security due to threat to his life from certain anti-social elements. The election authorities should review the situation and issue necessary directions to SRC to increase the security for all top leaders," demanded Gudur Narayana Reddy.

Gudur Narayana Reddy feared that the ruling TRS leaders might use some anti-social elements to carryout physical attacks on prominent leaders of Congress party to prevent them from participating in the election campaign. He said that the election authorities should not wait for any such thing to happen before increasing the security cover. He said previous regimes never took security issues so lightly as it is being done now under TRS rule. If any leader expresses threat to his life, it is the duty of the government to provide him adequate security. However, by denying security, the TRS Government is sending a clear message that the lives of opposition leaders have no value.

The Congress leader pointed out that caretaker ministers and some TRS leaders were having enjoying 16+16 or 8+8 security, but they are denying even 4+4 security to Congress and other opposition leaders. He alleged that adequate security cover to Congress leaders was being denied at the instance of caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. "The threat perception to Congress leaders has increased especially in view of continuously falling graph of TRS in the State. Engineering attacks on Congress leaders through anti-social elements to sabotage their campaign could be the last resort for TRS. Therefore, the election authorities must take precautions and order increase in security cover for prominent Congress leaders and star campaigners like Revanth Reddy and Vijayashanti," he demanded.

Gudur Narayana Reddy also demanded that Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is spearheading the election campaign not only as the TPCC president, but also as an important leader of Mahakutami (Grand Alliance), be given Z-Security.