Stampede deaths: YSRC leaders blame Naidu for \'human sacrifice\'

Tirupati, Kakinada: Leaders of the ruling YSRC were up in arms against N. Chandrababu Naidu for allegedly putting public lives at risk by conducting a roadshow in narrow lanes, which led to a stampede and subsequently, the death of eight people in Kandukur town of Nellore district.

Most leaders raked up the deaths during the Godavari Pushkaralu deaths of 29 pilgrims during Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure as the chief minister.

Home minister Taneti Vanitha said that a case was registered in the incident and that the probe would ascertain the guilty party. However, she laid the blame squarely on Naidu for the incident, claiming that the “publicity mania” of the TD chief led to the deaths.

She said that when locals were trying to shift the injured persons, Naidu asked them to halt the process as he wanted to give them a message. She demanded Naidu’s response to his action.

Expressing grief over the incident, agriculture minister K. Govardhan Reddy, a Nellore native, blamed the TD chief for the deaths claiming it was caused “solely by Naidu’s need for publicity”.

Addressing media persons on Thursday, he said that the TD was concentrating on getting drone footage to demonstrate the party’s crowd-pulling power, instead of ensuring public safety.

“The desire for drone shots is creating a stumbling block for the poor who are being shifted for the public meetings. This mindset caused the death of 29 people at Godavari Pushkaralu in Rajahmundry in 2015, and these actions are very common to the ‘publicity-monger’ Babu, who always seeks to capture the attention of the people with graphics and false disclosures,” he said.

Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy alleged it was unfortunate that the TD chief was attempting to turn the tragedy in his favour. He said Naidu's objective is always to create a sensation, without thought of consequences, and that this “human sacrifice” took place as a result of his viciousness.

Other ministers of the YSRC were quick to join the Naidu bashing show.

YSRC general secretary and advisor to government (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy slammed Naidu’s “self-promotion” mission and accused him of deliberately holding the rally in a narrow lane to capture photos of large crowds.

He questioned why Naidu failed to follow the instructions given by the police and change the location of the meeting, and why he was now blaming the police for the deaths.

Reddy alleged that Naidu spoke with the same arrogance on the stampede during Godavari Pushkaralu, wherein 27 pilgrims died.

Minister R.K. Roja said that the Kandukur incident was unfortunate and sad. She demanded that the courts take suo motu action and file a murder case against Chandrababu Naidu.