Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu lashed out at bitter rival and Chief Minister Jagan Reddy, saying that the new government in the state is implementing "anti-people policies".
"The YSRCP government is implementing anti-people policies. Unnecessary and illegal cases are being filed on leaders of other parties. The police are creating unnecessary problems. I am good to people who are good to me. But Jagan is acting like a psycho," the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"The YSRCP rule is extremely bad. Party leaders are collecting 'J Tax' (Jagan tax). I saw many Chief Ministers but I have never seen a Chief Minister like him. The law should be the same for all. I warn the government to change its arrogant attitude. The government is targeting our party leaders. That is not fair," Mr Naidu said during his first visit to Vishakhapatnam after his dribbling defeat in the state election earlier this year. He is in the coastal city to review his party's position.
Over the past four months since Jagan Reddy's party came to power, the TDP has been alleging that its workers have been at the receiving end of attacks by the ruling party leaders and cadre. According to the TDP, this has resulted in deaths of eight of its party workers, most of them in the violence-prone Palnadu region of Guntur district. Some 500 party activists have been attacked as well, the TDP had said.
Last month, Mr Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh and several leaders of their party put under house arrest to prevent them from participating in a massive protest against Jagan Reddy's government.
Mr Naidu's rented home in Amaravati was served a demolition notice last month by the state authorities, saying that the house, on the banks of the ecologically fragile Krishna river, was illegally built.
"We are gearing up for local body elections. We will constitute committees soon. We will provide one-third reservation for women and youth. We collected land for the capital Amaravati through land pooling that saved a lot of money. But the present government spoiled everything," Mr Naidu said on Friday.
With a massive mandate, Mr Reddy's party decimated the TDP by winning 151 of 175 assembly and 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh in the national and state elections held in April and May.
Mr Reddy, 46, is the son of YS Rajashekhara Reddy, one of the state's most popular Chief Ministers who died in a chopper crash in 2009.
(With inputs from ANI)
Political Manipulation, Money Power Involved: Mumbai Actor On Illegal Arrest 3 Senior Andhra Cops Suspended For "Illegally" Arresting Mumbai Actor 7 Dead As Bengaluru-Bound Bus Collides With Truck In Andhra Pradesh: Cops 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel 3 Grams Of Explosives Per Pager: Israel's Complex Op To Hurt Hezbollah "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants New XEC Covid Variant Spreads To 27 Countries, Here's What We Know So Far "Only Consequential Presidents Get Shot At": Trump After Assassination Bid Israel On Alert As Hezbollah Vows Retaliation Over Pager Attacks In Lebanon Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.