Former honorary president of the YSRCP and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s mother Y.S. Vijayalakshmi made a brief visit to the Viswabharathi Super Specialty Hospital at Gayatri Estates here on Monday evening to call on Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy’s ailing mother Y.S. Lakshmi.
Ms. Vijayalakshmi enquired about the health of Ms. Lakshmi, who is suffering from vascular blocks and is under the treatment of cardiologist Hithesh Reddy. Ms. Vijayalakshmi spent around 10 minutes with Ms. Lakshmi before returning to Hyderabad with her police escort in the evening.
Meanwhile, in a show of strength, YSRCP workers from Kadapa gathered at the hospital in large numbers and stayed put outside the hospital entrance, denying entry to people throughout the day. Several MLAs from Kurnool and Nandyal districts, such as J. Sudhakar (Kodumur), Shilpa Ravi Chandra Reddy (Nandyal), MP Pocha Brahmananda Reddy (Nandyal) and former Kurnool MLA S.V. Subba Reddy visited the hospital to call on Ms. Lakshmi.
Mr. Subba Reddy criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for forcing Mr. Avinash Reddy to appear before them at a time when he was by the side of his ailing mother in the hospital. “If the CBI tries to arrest Mr. Avinash Reddy, there will be a law and order problem in the city,” he warned.
Mediapersons chased away
Meanwhile, supporters of the Kadapa MP arrived at the hospital in hordes in vehicles from Kadapa and did not allow mediapersons near the hospital. Any person with a camera was chased away and a couple of mediapersons were also reportedly manhandled in the early hours. Members of the Indian Journalist Union (IJU) national committee G. Kondappa and K. Nagaraju, Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) district honorary president N.V. Subbaiah, and treasurer C. Anji took out a procession in Kurnool to protest against the attacks on journalists in Kurnool and Hyderabad.
In Anantapur too, APUWJ members took out a procession and submitted a memorandum to the Anantapur Collector seeking action against those attacking the mediapersons.
