Following the brutal murder of YSRCP leader Cherukulapadu Narayana Reddy and his aide on Sunday, YSRCP MLA Roja has alleged that the murders were carried out at the behest of the top brass of the ruling TDP.
This comes after initial reports suggested that the killings were a result of a bitter factional feud within the YSRCP.
The actor-turned-politician and YSRCP MLA from Nagari, Chittoor alleged that the murder was carried out with the intention of eliminating competition and suggested the involvement of Deputy Chief Minister K Krishnamurthy and his brothers in the murder.
Read more: YSR Congress leader, aide hacked to death in Kurnool district
"Putting fear in people's minds by resorting to killing and making them vulnerable is what the TDP has always done. It is very evident that the TDP members cannot stand the fact that Jagan Reddy has gathered such huge support. No matter how many times TDP leader KE Krishnamurthy says that he is not involved in this, it is very evident that he played a major role in the killing. These brutal murders also had the support of Chandrababu Naidu. They knew that he was vulnerable and did not have any weapons on him as he was returning from a wedding,” Roja told TV9.
“All this was well planned by the TDP. He had applied for a renewal of his gun license. Only the police knew about this and how did this information leak? He had applied for it long back and the police must also answer why they had not renewed his license and had benched it," Roja added.
The YSRCP has called for a bandh in the district on Monday over the killing.
Refuting the allegations against him, Krishnamurthy said, "I don't know who his political rivals are and I don't know who his family rivals are. There have been several abduction and murder cases filed against him recently. I have never made any such threats to either him or his family members. We have directed the police to investigate the case with precision. I had no rivalry or never have I held any grudge against him.”
“I have been in politics for many years now and never have I killed anyone, neither do I have any such tendencies. These allegations are being made to show Chandrababu Naidu and TDP in bad light. The police are still probing who attacked him. Without any clue, YSRC members are resorting to baseless allegations,” he added.
Narayana Reddy who was in-charge of the party’s Pathikonda constituency in Chittoor, was travelling in his SUV when it was hit by a tractor from behind on Sunday. According to reports, he was then assaulted with knives and sickles by 20-25 men. His aide was hacked to death at a distance of 500 metres from the spot where the senior leader was killed after he tried to escape from the group.
The duo was returning after attending a marriage on Sunday evening when the incident occurred.
Cherukulapadu Narayana had contested the assembly elections from the same seat in 2014 as a Congress candidate but lost to TDP’s Krishnamurthy. He later joined the YSRCP.
Andhra Home Minister Nimbakayala Cinnirajappa said that the police and the government are working out a plan to stop the factional feuds in Andhra Pradesh. "SPs and DSPs were deployed in each village in Kurnool to monitor the faction feuds. Since the TDP came to power three years ago, we have been trying to eliminate the faction fights. This was a revenge killing and the vengeance was taken after a long time, when no one expected it. We are trying to work out a plan to stop such feuds," he said.