Amaravati: State government putting people's lives at stake, said N Chandrababu Naidu

Amaravati: The State government has been putting the people's lives at stake for the sake of political gains, said TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu here on Monday. He was reacting to a letter written by the Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney to State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar.

Addressing at a press conference at the State party office here at Atmakur in Mangalagiri, Naidu described the Chief Secretary as an irresponsible IAS officer.

He said in her letter, she stated that there was no likelihood of any outbreak of coronavirus in the State in the next three to four weeks. Naidu wondered how the Chief Secretary can afford to be negligent. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was adamant and ignorant of the huge health risk.

He said over 6,777 persons returned to AP from foreign countries in the past few weeks. There was no clarity yet whether this government had taken steps to identify all of them. All States are following due protocols to isolate foreign returnees to place them in isolation for 14 days and discharge them only after they test negative.

The TDP chief demanded that the YSRCP government clarify whether it has followed all guidelines given by the Central government to keep a close vigil on foreign returnees. How can CS tell that only one positive case is detected in AP and that too the patient came from Italy? But the fact is that the virus is spreading with a multiplier effect in different countries.

Stating that coronavirus is highly contagious through multiple touch points, Naidu said in just three to four weeks, this virus has grown in alarming proportions shaking countries like Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and so on. In Italy, only three cases were reported in the first week, but the number went up to 21,157 in five weeks. He appealed to CM and CS not to play with the lives of people for their narrow political ends.

The CS gave safety certification on the virus threat obviously under the influence of the CM Office, he observed.

Naidu gave a call to the people to remain alert. People should avoid touch points in public places like door handles, electric buttons, shop counters, tables in hotels, playgrounds, swings, buses, trains, etc.

He deplored the Chief Minister holding a meeting with former IAS officer Ramakant Reddy on how to ensure that postponement of elections to local bodies is reversed, while the entire world is convulsed by coronavirus.

On other hand, Naidu took strong objection to the arrest of a TDP social media activist Rasool in Mangalagiri for his post on YSRCP MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy's hospitalisation. He asked why DGP Gautam Sawang did not take any action when more damaging stories and posts were posted against women by YSRCP activists.