The arrest of rebel YSR Congress MP from Narasapuram Kanumuri Raghurama Krishnam Raju by the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) police on Friday last in a sedition case has kicked up a lot of heat and dust in the state and even hit the national headlines.
With the issue now locked up in the court of law, the YSR Congress leaders have launched a broadside against Raju and of course, the Telugu Desam Party led by N Chandrababu Naidu, which stood by him solidly.
On Thursday, Raju episode had its echo in the state assembly, too. Senior YSRC MLA Jogi Ramesh, while speaking on the budget, suddenly turned his ire on the Narasapuram MP and went hammer and tongs against him.
He used choicest abuses against Raju on the floor of the House and got an appreciation from the fellow members, including chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“One idiot, who got elected to Lok Sabha on our party symbol, using party flag and the picture of our leader Jagan Mohan Reddy has been creating nuisance for the last one year, by making provocative statements sitting in New Delhi, which are being highlighted by a section of yellow media,” Jogi said.
Without naming Raju, the MLA alleged that his own party MP, with the support of Chandrababu Naidu who is heading the All-India Backstabbers’ Association, had made wild allegations against the chief minister and conspired against the popularly-elected government by creating a split in the society in the name of religion and caste.
“His comments and statements have hurt the sentiments of crores of people who elected Jagan as their leader. I am only reflecting their views,” Jogi said, adding that the Speaker could remove his comments, if they were unparliamentary, from the records.
Speaking later, the chief minister said he could understand the anguish of the MLA.
“I appreciate the way the member requested the Speaker to remove his comments, if they are unwarranted,” Jagan said.