The sudden death of 65-year old person Sambi Reddy, allegedly while standing in queue for onions, at Gudivada on Monday turned out be due to prolonged illness and not due to stress for standing in queue.
With the Telugu Desam Party leaders trying to politicise Sambi Reddy’s death and the pro-TDP media highlighting the issue in a big way, the YSR Congress government sought to put the records straight.
Along with a few television channels, the YSRC leaders met the family members of Sambi Reddy to know the actual fact.
The kin of the deceased, 65-year old Sambi Reddy, told media that some vested interests including a section of media are trying to eke out ‘political mileage out of our personal grief.’
‘The vested interests have tried their best to distort the facts and create a story that the person died while he was standing in a queue for buying onions at subsidised rates at Gudivada Rythu Bazar, in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh which is not a reality’, they said.
Recalling that the deceased Sambi Reddy earlier had a cardiac stroke ten years back after which he had taken VRS and has been running a small business ever since. He owns 15 acres of land and his two sons are software engineers and are well settled.
‘’There is no need for us to buy onions standing in queue and it has been a routine for Sambi Reddy to go to the temple in the morning and then visit the Rythu Bazar to see and buy fresh vegetables as and when available.
"The other day also, he followed the routine and had a cardiac stroke and was rushed to hospital. It has nothing to do with the onion shortage and long queues,’ they said.
They alleged that a section of media also had approached them and coaxed us to give a statement that he died while standing in queue for buying onions and they would get ex gratia from the government.
“We refused the proposal and sternly told the people not to politicise the issue of the death in our family and leave us in peace. But we were surprised to see in the media which reported that he died while standing in a queue for buying subsidised onions,” the brother-in-law of the deceased said.