YSR Cong demands CEO to issue notices to TDP, Congress
Ysr Congress Party leaders on Wednesday demanded that notices be issued to the Telugu Desam Party and Congress for misusing the media channels and the resultant expenditure be attached to their election expenditure accounts.
Following the Congress and TDP leaders’ meeting with Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal and their complaints against the ‘paid news’ issue on Tuesday, the Ysr Congress Party leaders on Wednesday made a similar complaint to the CEO against both the parties’ leaders.
The YSR Congress leaders gave a complaint to the effect that the TDP was misusing the electronic media to its advantage in the election campaign in the Kadapa district.
They specified that E-TV, Andhra Jyothi channel, TV 9, Studio N and ABN TV channel were highlighting the campaign activities of the Telugu Desam Party and Congress party candidates in the Kadapa constituency.
They even named TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu’s son Lokesh as the Chairman of the Studio N TV channel and that the former was having some shares in the E TV channel and so these channels were one sided in their telecast of election campaign.
In view of this, the expenditure of channels should go into the account of the TDP and Congress candidates, the team argued.
Just as YS Jaganmohan Reddy was issued notice, the CEO must issue notice to the TDP and Congress candidates, MLC Jupudi Prabhakar Rao demanded.
Out of 12 lakh plus electorate in the district, one percent of them were booked under bind-over cases, which was unfair in a democratic process, he argued.
The CEO was understood to have expressed his surprise at such a large number of bind over cases.
The allegation of money laundering was being heaped up by the ruling party to a give an impression that Y S Jaganmohan Reddy ‘won’ by buying votes. “We have not stooped down to such a level,” Mr Prabhakar asserted.
As part of the harassment by the ruling party, it was alleged that Jagan-followers camping in the lodges or hotels were subjected to intense check by the police. They did not spare their (YSR Congress) supporters who were selling watches or pens in the said hotels.
It was alleged that by evening a curfew like situation was being created as if section 144 was imposed.
Gattu Ramachander Rao pointed out that the media siding with the ruling party published even a cartoon which depicted Ys Jaganmohan Reddy as ‘Ravan’ and the voters as ‘Sita’ of Ramayana fame.
When asked that Sakshi channel was also indulging in a similar fashion, Gattu Ramachander Rao clarified that the television channel was trying to show how the official machinery was being misused by the ruling party.
The election symbol of Ysr Congress Party, the ceiling fan, was not spared either he said. Fans’ operation was compared to the ‘scams’ by the rival media which was designed to send wrong signals to the voters, they argued.
“This is a conspiracy hatched by the ruling party,” Mr Ramachander Rao said.
It was demanded that the entire flock of Ministers who were camping in the district be sent back to the state headquarters to look after the administration.
On one hand, the Congress opined that the Kadapa by-election was just an insignificant ‘election’ and on the other the concentration of the party leaders on Kadapa was such that it should be seen to be believed, they argued.