'He Is Dera Baba, Our Man Is Jagan Baba': Chandrababu Naidu's Latest Dig

Amaravati: The bitterly fought Nandyal by-election is over and won, but Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is not calling a ceasefire. He took yet another swipe at opposition leader Jaganmohan Reddy, comparing him to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief sentenced to 20 years in jail on Monday in two rape cases.

"He is Dera baba and our man here is Jagan Baba. He has a destructive and criminal mindset," said Mr Naidu at a press conference last evening.

Chandrababu Naidu said that the "Dera Baba headed a good organisation" but he abused his capabilities and violated the faith women had in him. "He also created militancy and caused violence. In the guise of a sadhu, he has done all these atrocities. Likewise is our man here. So I call him Jagan Baba," the Chief Minster said, alleging that his political rival is doing much harm to society.

"If you look at his behaviour in the last three years...it is very clear. Acting, vulgar behaviour, intimidating others, stalling the Assembly proceedings...all these expose his destructive and criminal mindset," he said.
 On Monday, Mr Naidu's Telugu Desam Party won the Nandyal assembly by-election, defeating Mr Reddy's YSR Congress by a big margin. The Chief Minister said the people of the constituency were now breathing easy as the YSR Congress had lost.

"The kind of language he (Jagan) used against me during the by-election campaign...it has become a debate across the nation. He toured Nandyal for 13 days and visited every household but people, in all their wisdom, trounced his party," Mr Naidu said.

Jaganmohan Reddy has alleged that the TDP won Nandyal, seen as a YSR Congress stronghold, by using "threats and bribes."

"Today we were punched and we will await our turn to punch. He socked us today. We have the capacity to take it. You must have the guts, be man enough to take the hit. We will await our turn to sock too," the 44-year-old opposition leader said.

He earned a sharp reprimand and warning from the Election Commission after he said during the campaign for Nandyal that there would be nothing wrong if Mr Naidu "were to be shot dead on the road." In another meeting he said there was nothing wrong if "someone like Mr Naidu is hanged for his wrongs."

He later explained that he had "been carried away" by his emotions because the chief minister is "betraying the people."

During the tense campaign, Chandrababu Naidu too attacked Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging that his father, former chief minister YSR Reddy, was a behind-the-scenes player in an assassination attempt that saw Naxals target his convoy in 2003.

The chief minister also snapped at voters when they asked him questions. "You take pensions that we give you. You use the roads built by us. You take rations and other benefits, why should you not vote for us?" he said.

A by-election was held in Nandyal because MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy died earlier this year. He had won as a YSR Congress candidate but defected to the TDP along with 20 other legislators after the assembly elections in 2014. His nephew Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy won the election yesterday as TDP candidate by a big margin of 27,000 votes.

(With inputs from PTI)