TDP national general secretary N. Lokesh on September 11 (Monday) said that his father and party national president N. Chandrababu Naidu was facing a threat to life inside the Rajahmundry Central Prison from the Maoists who are also lodged there.
Mr. Naidu was shifted to the prison late on September 10 (Sunday) night after he was remanded for 14 days by the ACB court in Vijayawada in connection with the alleged skill development corporation scam. Mr. Lokesh was the first person to meet Mr. Naidu immediately after the latter was shifted to the prison.
“The Superintendent of the Central Prison has confirmed with me that some Maoists are lodged there. Some of them are undertrials while the others are serving their term. My father (Naidu) has a clear threat to his life from the Maoists and drug peddlers. Now, he does not have the two layers of security cover including that of the National Security Guard (NSG). The NSG personnel attached to Mr. Naidu should be outside the prison,” Mr. Lokesh said in an exclusive interview with The Hindu on September 11 (Monday).
“This threat has forced us to file as petition in the ACB Court, seeking house-arrest of Mr. Naidu. I have written a letter to the Superintendent of the Central Prison, seeking tight security cover for my father inside the prison. I am yet to receive any reply,” he said.
Mr. Lokesh said that Mr. Naidu waged a battle against the Maoists and drug peddlers in the past and the threats to his life have been ignored by the State government. “My father had a close shave in an attack by the Maoists in Alipiri of Chittoor district in 2003,” he pointed out.
‘APCID officials are henchmen of CM’
Referring to the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (AP-CID) officials, Mr. Lokesh described them as the ‘henchmen’ of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“I have come to this conclusion from the way the AP-CID is targeting my father and the TDP leaders. I dare the AP-CID to reveal to which accounts the money that was allegedly siphoned off was credited. Was the money credited to the bank accounts of Mr. Naidu or our family members?” he asked.
The TDP leader said that the A.P. Skill Development Corporation’s Skill Development project was adopted from Gujarat, which was implemented in that State during the chief ministerial tenure of Narendra Modi. “Six other States have also implemented the same project in the same way. How can the project implemented in Andhra Pradesh be a scandal?” asked Mr. Lokesh.
‘Pawan is elder brother’
Referring to the support for Mr. Naidu from Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan for the fight against Mr. Naidu’s arrest, Mr. Lokesh said, “I consider Mr. Pawan Kalyan as my elder brother. His support has given us immense strength.”
Mr. Lokesh added that the party would decide the future course of action within the next two days.
