Andhra CM Blames TDP Chief for Stampede Tragedy That Killed 8 People

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Last Updated: December 30, 2022, 23:40 IST

Referring to an incident that took place in 2015, Reddy claimed that Naidu has done this in the past too. (File photo/News18)

Referring to an incident that took place in 2015, Reddy claimed that Naidu has done this in the past too. (File photo/News18)

Eight people, including two women, died and many others were injured on Wednesday after they fell into a drainage canal when the Leader of Opposition Naidu was addressing a roadshow there

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday launched a scathing attack on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu over the stampede tragedy and demanded an immediate apology from him.

Eight people, including two women, died and many others were injured on Wednesday after they fell into a drainage canal when the Leader of Opposition Naidu was addressing a roadshow there. People gathered in large numbers at the venue and there was some jostling among the public during the meeting, leading to a stampede at the canal, police said based on initial information.

“Babu killed eight people for his political benefits, it is so heinous and shameful. For the sake of a photo shoot, for a drone shot, even though there were few people, they pushed people into a narrow lane in order to show big numbers. They used their vehicle like a barricade and killed eight people… will there be anything worse than this?” Reddy was quoted as saying by NDTV at a public meeting today morning in Narsipatnam.

Referring to an incident that took place in 2015, Reddy claimed that Naidu has done this in the past too, and was quoted as saying, “During Godavari Pushkaralu in 2015, he became the reason for the death of 29 people. This is not new for him. He only cares about his publicity.”

Reddy also lashed out at Naidu for allegedly mentioning the castes of those who lost their lives, “for petty political gains”. “Politics is not shooting, or dialogues, or drone shots, or drama. Politics means what change we are able to bring in the families of farmers and socially marginalised groups,” he was quoted by NDTV as saying.

Reddy had announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured and instructed the officials to extend necessary support to the families of the victims, the statement said.

Expressing grief over the death of his party workers, Naidu had earlier said, “This is a sad incident. I’m feeling very sorry about it.” TDP has also announced that it will pay Rs 24 lakh each to the families of the eight who died in the stampede.

Naidu, who immediately cancelled the meeting, announced Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased. He also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated. He also asked the TDP leaders to ensure better medical care to the injured.

Meanwhile, YSR Congress Party general secretary and advisor to government (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, in a statement, blamed Naidu for the tragic incident. Addressing the media today, he said Naidu “deliberately” held the rally in a narrow lane in order to capture the visuals through drone shots to show a huge crowd for his meeting, it said.

However, Naidu’s “self-promotion mission” failed miserably and led to the “murder” of eight innocent people while injuring several others, he said.

“Why is Naidu trying to pin the blame on the authorities when it is him who is behind these ‘murders’? The fact of the matter is that the opposition leader does not value lives. He is using people for personal and political gains and nothing can be worse than that. People are watching and will teach him a lesson,” he said in a statement.

When contacted Ch.Vijaya Rao Superintendent of Police Nellore said they registered a case under Section 174 CrPC on the incident and investigation is on. The official further said the meeting organisers took permission for only using sound system, but they took out a bike rally and parked the two-wheelers near the meeting venue causing congestion.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said he was pained by the mishap and announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured.

(with inputs from PTI)

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Source: www.news18.com

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