Lokesh dares CM on Covid curbs: Vijayaka Chaviti

No restrictions for YSR birth, death anniversaries

No curbs for marriage utsav and YCP leaders events

Permission for YCP crowd events but not Ganesh utsav

Sajjala, Kanna, Avinash attended Proddatur event

AMARAVATI (prajaamaravati): TDP National General Secretary and MLC Nara Lokesh on Wednesday posed a series of questions to Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on why his Government was restricting the Vijayaka Chaviti celebrations in the name of Coronavirus when no curbs were there for his own and his party leaders' personal and crowd-based events.

Mr. Lokesh dared the Chief Minister to answer why his father YSR's birth and death anniversaries were celebrated amidst the presence of family, friends, party leaders and followers if there was so much threat from the pandemic. Moreover, Mr. Jagan Reddy had celebrated his marriage anniversary in a grand manner. The YSRCP leaders were freely conducting all sorts of personal and political events without any official restrictions relating to the dreaded Coronavirus.

In a statement here, Mr. Nara Lokesh demanded CM Jagan Reddy to explain why Ganesh Chathurthi was being discriminated against despite the festival mood all over the State. Such severe restrictions were not imposed anywhere else. The devotees and the small traders were facing lots of problems because of the Government's arbitrary decisions. From the beginning, the YSRCP regime was discriminating against different sections only to create social tensions.

Mr. Lokesh strongly objected to the manner in which the ruling YSRCP MLA did not follow or observe any Coronavirus restrictions while holding a programme in Proddatur in Kadapa district. CM's Advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Minister Kanna Babu and MP Avinash Reddy attended this meeting. How would the Chief Minister defend such irresponsible actions of his own party MLAs and Ministers?

Mr. Nara Lokesh expressed concern that the Government was applying different rules to different sections for the sake of deriving needless advantage. The whole ruling YSRCP leaders were behaving like 'Covidiots' (Covid idiots) and also 'super spreaders' of the deadly virus. The CM should tell whether his partymen's reckless behaviour would not trigger Covid outbreaks in the State.

Mr. Lokesh criticised the ruling YSRCP and the officials for starting a needless campaign to create fears about Covid spread during the Vijayaka Chaviti utsav. Before imposing such arbitrary restrictions, the Government should have taken the opinions from the affected sections.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nara Lokesh gave a strong counter to the allegations being made by the YSRCP Narasaraopet MLA a day ahead of his visit to the Palnadu town on Thursday. He asserted that he was visiting Narasaraopet to fight for justice to the family of the slain Anusha and to remind the ruling party MLA of his failure to ensure a fair deal to the victims.