YSRC MLA RK Roja said on Saturday that Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was emulating US President Donald Trump, where women's rights were concerned.
"How Trump is troubling women in America, Chandrababu Naidu is making women in the state feel the same fearful way," Roja said.
Roja was addressing a crowd after attending a YSRC party review meeting along with general secretary Vijay Sai Reddy.
"Deeply indulged in corruption activities, the female Telugu Desam Party representatives have left the security of the women to the air. They haven’t taken up a single programme for the welfare of the women. Several TDP MLAs were involved in the ‘call money’ scam in which hundreds of women were dragged into flesh trade...The TD government has failed in implementing the Balamrutham and other schemes aimed at the welfare of women and children," Roja was quoted as saying.
The 'call money' scam broke out in the state in December 2015, when the Vijayawada police uncovered a nexus involving prostitution, large amounts of money exchanging hands and many government and police officials.
It started with the police arresting Y Ramachandra Murthy, a deputy engineer of AP Transmission Corporation and G Satyanand, who were alleged to be the brains behind the operation, along with a few private financiers.
At the time, the police said that the gang would give out loans to innocent women at a high rate of interest and threaten them when they failed to repay the money.
The gang would also coerce them to hand over their property, and in some cases, force them into the flesh trade, the police said.
As far as political connections to the case were concerned, some of the accused were working as private bodyguards for leaders of the TDP, who were allegedly backing the mafia.
Meanwhile, regretting that the YSRC was not able to garner grassroots support, Vijay Sai Reddy called for all divisions of the party, including women, youngsters, students and farmers, to work for the party.
The review meeting comes a few months ahead of the party’s plenary on July 8.