Tirupati: A gang of unidentified miscreants made an attempt to attack Anam Venkataramana Reddy, Telugu Desam spokesperson for the state, at an apartment in B.V. Nagar in Nellore on Sunday.
Venkataramana Reddy was on a visit to Kilari Venkataswamy Naidu’s house in the apartment and the attack on him was suspectedly planned by his political rivals.
A gang of five wielding sticks came on motorcycles and attempted to manhandle Reddy as he was coming out of the apartment. Quick intervention of TD supporters and Reddy’s associate Sikhinder Reddy forced the assailants to flee. Sikhinder Reddy received injuries to his legs while chasing the miscreants, TD men claimed.
Venkataramana Reddy has of late been more vocal in his criticism of the YSRC government and exposing the acts of alleged corruption in the ruling party. “It was an attempt to silence him,” TD sources said.
As word spread, former minister Somireddy Chandramohan, TD leader Kotamreddy Giridhar and some others rushed to the scene. Somireddy condemned the assault on Venkataramana Reddy. “A new culture of broad daylight attacks has been unleashed by the YSRC in Nellore district. When we reported the matter to the police, just two constables were sent in,” he complained.
TD general secretary Nara Lokesh denounced the incident. He said the YSRC government was attempting to silence those critical of its corruption and irregularities, by resorting to violence. “TD will not let the rowdy elements go unpunished,” he warned.
Former minister and Venkatagiri MLA Anam Ramanarayana, who visited Sikhinder Reddy in the hospital, expressed his anguish over the attack. TD's Nellore rural constituency in-charge, Sheik Abdul Aziz, has urged the district police to launch an investigation and punish those behind the attack.
The attempt on Venkataramana Reddy sparked concern over the safety and security of political figures in the region. It reignited discussions on the escalating tensions between rival political parties in Andhra Pradesh and the need for more police alert in this respect.
