'Why Not Transfer Centre's IB Chief?': Chandrababu Naidu After EC Transfers Andhra IPS Officers

Amravati: Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telegu Desam Party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday sat on a sit-in protest outside the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) block at the Secretariat and appealed the Election Commission of India (ECI to ‘save’ the democratic spirit of the country.

Babu met Andhra Pradesh CEC Gopala Krishna Dwivedi and submitted a memorandum to him, accusing the EC of acting "on behalf of the YSR Congress under the guidance of the BJP".

Speaking to media, Naidu said that he never had to meet the chief electoral officer in his life but present circumstances compelled him to do so for the first time.

The chief minister said, “22 political parties in the country are questioning the credibility of EVMs. We asked the poll body to introduce paper ballots again and to count at least 50% of VVPAT slips. ECI has given wrong information that it takes six days to count VVPAT slips. Then how the results were out in one day when paper ballots were used.”

"It is surprising that the EC is taking partisan and hasty steps to harass and intimidate government officials with a view to trigger panic in their minds for carrying out legitimate responsibilities," Naidu alleged, referring to the transfer of the state chief secretary, director general (DG) intelligence and three district superintendents of police (SPs). He questioned why the SP of Kadapa was transferred when he was investigating YSR chief Jaganmohan Reddy’s uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy’s murder case.

He also objected to the appointment of retired IPS officer K K Sharma as a special police observer for the Lok Sabha election in the state, alleging that he was a "prejudiced person with an RSS background".

He asked, “Why my intelligence chief Venkateswar Rao was transferred and why not Centre’s IB chief? Why the CS has been removed?”

He questioned why The SP of Kadapa has been transferred who is investigating YSR party chief Jaganmohan Reddy’s uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy’s murder case.

Further, the chief minister noted that ever since the polls were announced and the Model Code of Conduct came into force, the Income Tax authorities had only been targeting the TDP candidates, workers and sympathisers.

Raising the issue of income-tax raids on TDP’s Guntur candidate Jayadev Galla, he said it was to create panic and fear.