Vijayawada:

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Saturday said the state government will not spare anyone involved in the alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddus with animal fats.

During a recent NDA legislative party meeting, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making the popular Tirupati laddus, known for their unique taste.

Mr Lokesh said the NDDB lab reports have translated the allegations into facts and noted that Naidu will take the call on ordering a CBI inquiry into the row.

“NDDB’s report is clear that adulteration happened. Report is clear, this is not an allegation. Chandrababu Naidu spoke with facts. We will not spare anyone and we will also not leave this issue with just a CBI inquiry,” he told PTI Videos on the sidelines of a CII conference.

The IT minister noted that the CM is also contemplating on what structural changes need to be done to ensure that irregularities of this fashion do not recur.

According to the TDP general secretary, controversies like this will erupt if there is a visionless CM sans clarity of thought.

“There were CMs before Jagan also, but none of them touched Tirumala. They did not do these kinds of things. Even I felt very bad. He (Sri Venkateswara) is also our God. We also feel very bad about it (animal fats in laddus),” he said.

Further, he observed that the government is looking at streamlining the entire process at Tirumala going forward and added that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent and autonomous body.

TTD is the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati. 

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

Hyderabad:

An ugly war of words has broken out between the ruling YSRCP and the Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with the family members of former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu claiming that he has lost five kg in the last one month in jail, whereas the government claims he has in fact gained one kg, from 66 kg to 67 kg.

Chandrababu Naidu, 73, has been in Rajamahendravaram Central Jail as remand prisoner 7691, since September 10, when he was sent to judicial custody after being named as an accused in the alleged Rs 371 crore skill development scam.

Chandrababu Naidu’s son Lokesh, wife Bhuvaneswari and daughter-in-law Brahmani have all tweeted expressing grave concern over the health of Mr Naidu.

There is an undeniable and immediate threat to CBN’s life. He is being deliberately harmed. His safety is unquestionably at risk.

CBN is facing a dire situation, dealing with mosquitoes, contaminated water, weight loss, infections, and allergies, all without access to timely…

— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) October 13, 2023

Nara Bhuvaneswari has said she is worried that if Mr Naidu loses weight by another 2 kg, it could lead to kidney complications. Son Lokesh has said his father has been given steroids that he did not want to take as it could complicate his health condition.

I am deeply concerned for my husband’s well-being, as the Govt of Andhra Pradesh has failed to provide him with the timely medical care he urgently needs while he remains in prison. He has already lost 5 kg weight, and any further weight loss could have severe consequences for…

— Nara Bhuvaneswari (@ManagingTrustee) October 13, 2023

Daughter-in-law Brahmani has said inadequate and unsanitary prison conditions pose a considerable risk to his health and that they are deeply worried about him.

The family had earlier spoken about Mr Naidu suffering a skin allergy and threat of dengue from mosquitoes in the prison.

YSRCP rebel MP Raghurama Krishnamaraju has written a letter to governor Abdul Nazir alleging that there is a threat to Mr Naidu’s life.

TDP spokesperson Pattabhi asked why a health assessment panel had not been formed for Mr Naidu who is an NSG protectee, to take a call on his medical condition. He said they would seek treatment at a private hospital or a well-equipped government hospital for their leader.

In response, the jail authorities today released a health bulletin that suggested that his health parameters were normal. They also said dermatologists had gone in to see him and prescribe medication.

YSRCP spokesperson Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy dismissed the concerns being raised about Mr Naidu’s health as highly exaggerated. “If someone is critical and on the death bed, then health bulletins are released. Not when they are fit and healthy.”

Mr Reddy said Mr Naidu had been provided a separate barrack because of security concerns, he gets food and water from home and to expect that he would be provided with an air conditioner inside jail is too much.

“It is not his mother-in-law’s house that he will be provided with comforts like an air conditioner. There are thousands of prisoners inside the jail and he is also a remand prisoner who will be treated in a similar manner,” he said.

Amravati:

Telugu Desam Party General Secretary Nara Lokesh on Friday said that there is an immediate threat to the life of the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu.

Claiming that timely medical assistance is not being provided to Chandrababu Naidu by the Andhra Pradesh government in Rajahmundry central prison, the son of the TDP chief, Lokesh said that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Reddy would be responsible for the further deterioration of his father’s health.

In a post on X (former Twitter), Nara Lokesh said, “There is an undeniable and immediate threat to Chandrababu Naidu’s life. He is being deliberately harmed. His safety is unquestionably at risk. CBN is facing a dire situation, dealing with mosquitoes, contaminated water, weight loss, infections, and allergies, all without access to timely medical assistance.”

“The GoAP is trying to administer steroids to him. What is it that the Government doctors and administration are trying to hide? If any harm befalls Chandrababu Naidu garu, Jagan Reddy will be responsible,” he added.

Nara Bhuvaneswari, wife of Chandrababu Naidu also expressed concerns about her husband’s well-being and stated that current circumstances made by the state government can pose an immediate threat to the former Chief Minister’s life.

“I am deeply concerned for my husband’s well-being, as the Govt of Andhra Pradesh has failed to provide him with the timely medical care he urgently needs while he remains in prison. He has already lost 5 kg weight, and any further weight loss could have severe consequences for his kidneys. The overhead water tanks are unsanitary and pose a serious health risk. These dire circumstances create a clear and immediate threat to my husband’s life,” Nara Bhuvaneswar posted on X .

Telugu Desam party spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi said that Chandrababu Naidu is suffering from severe dehydration and his current condition is not good.

“We all know that he is suffering from severe dehydration. If this dehydration continues there is a chance of kidney problems. Yesterday we came to know that the doctor team have moved to prison to take care of Naidu’s health. Our party leaders met him and his condition is not okay,” TDP spokesperson said.

Adding that the party is thinking of filing a petition to move Chandrababu Naidu to a super speciality hospital, he said, “We are not sure what kind of medicine is he getting and he has a separate doctors team outside in his day-to-day life. But we are very much worried about his condition. We do not know what sort of medicine is he getting. We are going to file a plea at court to shift him to a private super speciality for further medication and or else to provide his regular doctor for his treatment.”

Earlier a team of dermatologists on Monday examined former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in Rajahmundry Central Jail after he complained to the jail authorities about his skin allergy. One associate professor of dermatology and one assistant professor of dermatology have been deputed at Rajamundhry Central Prison to take care of former CM Chandrababu Naidu.

Naidu was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last month for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore skill development ‘scam’ case. CID said that TDP chief Naidu is the prime conspirator in this case.

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

New Delhi:

As Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, N Chandrababu Naidu, continues to remain in jail in connection with the skill development scam case, his son and the party General Secretary, Nara Lokesh, on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and expressed his concerns about the safety of his father’s life.

He alleged that there is a blatant misuse of state machinery by the YSRCP Government in Andhra Pradesh.

“Met with the Hon’ble Union Home Minister @AmitShah Ji and apprised him of the blatant misuse of state machinery by YSRCP Govt in Andhra Pradesh, the regime revenge against Hon’ble @ncbn Garu, and the appalling condition in which he has been lodged in prison where his life is under threat,” Nara Lokesh said in a post on X after his meeting with Amit Shah.

Apart from the skill development scam case, Chandrababu Naidu has also been booked in the Amaravati Inner Road alignment and the FiberNet scam-related cases.

Naidu has been in judicial remand in the Rajahmundry Central Jail of Andhra Pradesh since September 11 in connection with the skill development scam. The judicial remand of Naidu has been extended till October 19 by the ACB Special Court in Vijayawada.

In the skill development case, the ACB court rejected Naidu’s bail petition for the skill development case on Monday.

Lokesh’s meeting with Shah also came a day after the Andhra Pradesh CID initiated its interrogation of Naidu in connection with the Amaravati Inner Ring Road scam case.

Nara Lokesh was also questioned by the CID in the Inner Ring Road case for the second day on Wednesday.

After the questioning, Lokesh told the media that the CID officials asked the same questions that were not related to the case.

He mentioned that he attended the investigation on the second day, despite the Andhra Pradesh High Court instructing him to attend for only one day.

Nara Lokesh asserted that he had nothing to hide, and he attended the second day based on the instructions of the CID officials.

New Delhi:

TDP National General Secretary Nara Lokesh has said that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is putting false cases against them and it’s nothing but a political witch-hunt.

Nara Lokesh and party supporters on Monday staged a hunger strike at Lodhi Estate in Delhi against the arrest of TDP Chief and former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

The party workers held ‘I am with CBN’ posters demanding the release of Former Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu.

“Mr Naidu is known for efficiency, transparency and integrity. Today, we have a madman as the CM of Andhra Pradesh and he is putting false cases against a credible politician. It’s nothing but a political witch-hunt. They have kept two cases ready, in case Naidu gets bail in this case, he can be put on remand again in two other cases,” Nara Lokesh said.

He further said that the government is putting false cases against him too and also threatened to put his wife and mother in jail.

“It’s not just him, they have put false cases against me. They have now given a notice to appear in a matter totally unrelated to my ministry when I was the minister. They are sending notices to numerous people. They’ve also threatened to put cases against my wife and my mother and send them to jail. This is the kind of madman administration that we are dealing with in the state of Andhra Pradesh,” Nara Lokesh added.

“So I urge every Indian to stand and support Mr Naidu,” he said.

From candle marches to rallies, TDP workers have been demanding the release of Chandrababu Naidu by showcasing their outrage across the country.

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief, N Chandrababu Naidu, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on September 9 in connection with the multi-crore skill development scam case.

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

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.