'Are You Mad,' Says Chandrababu Naidu To Man Who Asked About Power Cuts

Hyderabad: For the second time in as many months, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been caught on camera losing his cool and landing in a controversy. Like last month, he was campaigning for a by-election in Nandyal in his state yesterday, when he pulled up a man who asked him about power cuts in the area.

''How dare you talk to me like that? I came as a political leader and Chief Minister. In front of so many of my party activists, you dare to talk in that way," said the 67-year-old Chief Minister, accusing the man of being a member of a rival party and crashing his public meeting.

"Are you mad? Are you drunk? If you have been sent by the YSR Congress, don't come to my meeting. Stay at home,'' the Chief Minister said.  

Mr Naidu was highlighting his government's achievements and was speaking about supplying regular power to rural areas when the man interrupted him, saying there are power cuts in their area. Along with his tirade, Mr Naidu also emphatically said that there are no power cuts in Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister was campaigning for his party the Telugu Desam Party or TDP's candidate Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy for a by-election for the Nandyal seat in Andhra Pardesh's Kurnool district. It is seen as a stronghold of the YSR Congress led by Jaganmohan Reddy.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Bhuma Nagireddy, who had won as a YSR Congress candidate in the 2014 assembly election and later switched to Mr Naidu's party.   

Last month, Mr Naidu had while campaigning in Nandyal asked party leaders to demand votes from people, saying "You are taking the pension I am giving, using roads we have built, taking rations that we give, benefiting from our schemes, then why should you not support us politically?"