AP: BJP writes to EC over the kidnapping of leader from Badvel

Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has written to the Election Commission of India (EIC) over the alleged kidnapping of one of its mandal president, Rama Krishna Reddy, from the Badvel assembly constituency. The opposition party also alleged that there is ongoing misuse of government machinery in the election campaign by Andhra Pradesh minister Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy from the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

On Tuesday, AP state president of the BJP Somu Veeraju wrote to the Director-General of Police(DGP) complaining of the same kidnapping. Somu wrote in the letter that a party leader and ex-MLA Jaya Ramulu and Neelakanta informed him that the BJP Mandal president Kalasapadu, Badvel constituency, had been reportedly kidnapped in the morning. The saffron party blamed the Panchayath Raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Avinash Reddy and other YSRCP leaders.

He said that the two politicians who informed him of the kidnapping have been trying to contact Rama Krishna Reddy since morning, however, his phone was switched off.

Furthermore, the BJP state president claimed that the volunteers of Kalasapadu informed him that earlier they saw Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and other YSRCP leaders entering the house of the kidnapped BJP leader. Subsequently, the orange men reportedly rushed from Porumamilla to Kalasapadu and at the outskirts of the place saw the convoy of vehicles Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and Avinash Reddy taking away the “kidnapped BJP leader with three others.”

Subsequently, the volunteers reportedly reached the home of Ramakrishna Reddy and discovered that the minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, MP Avinash Redy and other YSRCP leaders forcibly took Ramakrishna Reddy and three other party workers in their vehicle and left.

“They threatened with dire consequences, abused them and intimidated them if they participated in the election process. All the persons conspire together and committed the offence they used undue influence over Ramakrishna Reddy and others and dragged them outside of the house,” they said.

Moreover, in the letter, Somu wrote that the YSRCP leaders committed the act of endangering the life of Ramakrishna Reddy and other party workers and prevented them from going out for campaign by using criminal force.

The BJP demanded the DGP to take stringent action against the suspects and suspend and transfer all the police officials to accompany the minister and witness the incident and failed to inform the incident to the higher official.

In the letter to the Election Commission of India, the BJP said, “We lodged a complaint with the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Velagapudi, Vijayawada on account of the abduction of our BJP Mandal President Kalasapadu, Rama Krishna Reddy on 26.10.2021 by bigwigs in the government including Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy, apart from others.”

BJP wrote that due to several malpractices in the constituency, its party workers have faced a lot of intimidation from functioning as the polling agents for their party candidate and requested the ECI to take necessary action so that “free and fair election can be held.”