New Delhi:

Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s son launched an impassioned defence of the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday, telling NDTV “I should call for a civil war against the corrupt regime (of the ruling YSR Congress)”. Mr Naidu’s son, Nara Lokesh, insisted his father – a “politician without corruption allegations” – had been sent to remand “without any proof”.

Mr Naidu was arrested over an alleged Rs 371 crore scam involving the state’s skill development corporation and sent to the Rajahmundry Jail for two weeks under judicial custody. The Telugu Desam Party boss’ arrest has roiled Andhra Pradesh politics ahead of Assembly and Lok Sabha elections due next year.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely… and corrupt people put honest people behind bars. That is exactly what is happening in Andhra Pradesh,” Mr Lokesh told NDTV in Delhi this afternoon as he emphasised his father’s “stellar record” as Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition.

READ | The Rs 371-Crore Scam That Led To Chandrababu Naidu’s Arrest: Explained

“If you read any of the remand reports it is very clear there is no money trail… because Mr Naidu has not done anything wrong. It is quite clear this is vendetta politics…” he lashed out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

In the national capital to gather support for his father, Mr Lokesh said he intends to fight accusations through every available legal option. “Justice is being delayed but justice cannot be denied.”

READ | Chandrababu Naidu To Stay In Jail, Court Rejects Wife’s “Safety” Request

“Mr Naidu has a stellar record… he has been CM for 15 years and LoP for another 15. He has an amazing track record… a politician without corruption allegations and such an honest person, without any proof is being sent to judicial remand…”

Mr Lokesh called on “all Indians to rally behind Mr Naidu”.

The Jana Sena Alliance

On Thursday actor-politician Pawan Kalyan said his Jana Sena had allied with Mr Naidu’s TDP and hit out at the Chief Minister and his government. “This is not about our (his party’s) political future… but the future of Andhra Pradesh,” he said, flanked by Mr Lokesh and TDP MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is Mr Naidu’s brother-in-law.

READ | Actor-Politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Ties Up With Chandrababu Naidu

Mr Lokesh welcomed the alliance and pointed to the irony of the two leaders meeting in the administrative block of the Rajahmundry Jail, which was built by Mr Naidu when he was Chief Minister.

“It was unfortunate to see him there… that brought the two leaders together.”

“Pawanji was stopped from entering Andhra (he was taken into preventive custody on Sunday en route to meet Mr Naidu) and when I was doing padyatra they obstructed me. Now I think time has come to pretty much… I should call for a civil war…”

The terms of the Jana Sena-TDP alliance are unclear given the former is also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, and the BJP and TDP don’t exactly have the best of relations.

On INDIA Support

Meanwhile, Mr Lokesh also welcomed support from the 28-member INDIA alliance, many members of which have backed Chandrababu Naidu even though the TDP is not part of the bloc.

READ | As Election Nears, INDIA Seat-Sharing In This State May Be Issue: Sources

“Support of INDIA means a lot… Mr Naidu has an amazing credibility built over not one or two days but 42 years… and it pains me that a leader with this kind of credibility, on a false allegation, is today in judicial remand,” his son said.

Amravati:

Home-cooked food, medication, and a special room were among the amenities granted by a court to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu for his fortnight-long stay in jail.

An ACB Court in Andhra Pradesh’s Amravati directed the superintendent of Rajamahendravaram Central Prison to accommodate 73-year-old Naidu separately in view of the purported threat to his life. The former CM is a Z-plus category security protectee.

“The superintendent of central prison is directed to provide all the special amenities including food (cooked at home), medication, special room in central prison to petitioner/A37 (Naidu),” the Judge ordered.

According to the detention order, the Judge highlighted that there are grounds to believe the accusations levelled against Naidu, and 24 hours were not enough to complete the investigation.

“This is an authorisation to you (superintendent), to detain … Naidu in custody, and to cause him to be produced before the Court on the 22nd day of September, 2023 at 10.30 am,” the Judge ordered.

Amid tight security and inclement weather, the former Andhra Pradrsh CM was sent to Rajamahendravaram from Vijayawada, a distance of about 200 km, in a convoy on road.

Following Naidu’s dispatch to jail, his son and TDP general secretary, Nara Lokesh, penned an emotional note on X (formerly Twitter), alleging his father was unjustly sent for remand for a crime he never committed.

“My anger simmers, and my blood boils. Is there no limit to the depths political vendetta will sink? Why must a man of my father’s calibre, who has accomplished so much for his country, state, and Telugu people, endure such injustice?” asked Lokesh.

Lokesh said he and his father were “fighters” as he called on people to join him in his battle and sought support from Telugu people worldwide.

Janasena party president Pawan Kalyan alleged that Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was trying to tar political opponents as criminals and sending them to jail just because he too once did.

According to the actor-politician, who is BJP’s local ally in the southern state, Reddy would not have become the Chief Minister had laws worked effectively.

On Sunday night, the ACB Court in Vijayawada remanded Naidu to 14 days of judicial custody for his alleged role in the multi-crore Skill Development Corporation scam.

Naidu was arrested in a pre-dawn operation on Saturday at Nandyala, which involved officers knocking on the door of the caravan in which he was sleeping.

The former CM was arrested by the CID around 6 am on Saturday from a marriage hall (outside which his caravan was parked) at Gnanapuram in Nandyala. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)