Chevireddy alleges political harassment whenever Chandrababu is in power

Tirupati: Former Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, who was released on bail from Vijayawada jail on Thursday, has alleged that he and his family have been subjected to sustained political harassment whenever TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu comes to power. In a press release, he claimed that his troubles began after he was elected as an MLA in 2014 from Chandrababu Naidu’s native constituency.

He alleged that between 2014 and 2019, as many as 72 cases were filed against him, leading to repeated arrests and jail terms across several districts. He further claimed that he was physically assaulted and humiliated by the police, even though he was a sitting MLA at the time. In one instance, he alleged that he was handcuffed at night, beaten, and later abandoned by police to avoid being produced before a court. According to him, the situation has repeated after Chandrababu Naidu returned to power, with which he had to spend nearly eight months in jail this time. He also alleged that his sons are now being targeted with cases after one contested elections and the other became active in student politics. He claimed that women in his family are also being threatened.

Chevireddy stated that he is not afraid of further cases or imprisonment, but added that he would not comment on the present case as per court directions.