Political fight impacts serenity of Vizag

Visakhapatnam: The changing political scenario in the state has cast a shadow on the serenity of city which was earlier known as peace-loving and warm city.

Ever since the proposal to make Visakhapatnam as the executive capital came to the fore, the people of district have been wondering whether the law and order could be maintained, could violence be contained in the name of politics. People have raised doubts over the continuance of Vizag as a peace-loving city.

The recent incident has added strength to their suspicion. The protest on Thursday at airport when TDP supremo N Chandrababu arrived projected Vizag in bad light. The TDP and YSRCP candidates clashed for about eight hours at the airport, making Naidu get stranded at the venue. As Naidu stood to his ground on conducting 'Praja Chaitanya Yatra,' the YSRC activists also lost no opportunity to turn him away. In the process, Naidu was arrested and sent back to Hyderabad in the evening. However, the political flare up witnessed has caused a lot of disturbance to locals who have been taken for granted by the political parties.

As the TDP and YSRC leaders are trying to gain political one-upmanship over the other by conducting meetings, rallies and demonstration programmes, a sense of insecurity is gripping the citizens. The people of Vizag have never demanded that the executive capital be set up in Vizag and they were equally not averse to such a plan either. But the airport incident is giving them enough indication what could be in store for them in future if heightened political activity becomes a reality in the port city.

TDP leaders felt that the police were in hand-in-glove with the YSRC protesters to accost the TDP supremo and stop him from entering the city as the former remained mute spectators when protest intensified.

Terming the airport violence as a 'political vendetta', former MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao said, "I have never witnessed such a 'violent protest' in my entire political career. The YSRC-led government is promoting 'Kadapa' culture in the city. In a democratic country, we have a right to protest in a non-violent manner. But the way the YSRC activists threw stones and footwear clearly indicates what is in store for the denizens in future if Vizag is to become the executive capital."

Sharing his views, TDP urban president and Visakhapatnam South MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar mentioned that Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao aspires to score 'brownie points' from Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. "Since the minister's political graph has come down in the recent past and he himself is on shaky grounds, he had 'directed' the protest well when TDP chief came to Vizag. Looks like, the more he attacks Naidu, the more the minister gets closer to the CM," he opined.

Recalling a similar incident, YSRC leader Dadi Veerabhadra Rao said: "History made a comeback and those who had tried to insult NTR should not hurl abuses now. In 1994, the late chief minister NT Rama Rao had come across similar situation allegedly by Naidu's supporters. Naidu claiming that people had thrown footwear, tomatoes, eggs and water sachets on him should respond to the claim made by the then chief minister as well," he pointed out. Though the protest between the political parties concluded on Thursday, the war of words between them continues.