Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary Nara Lokesh on Thursday hit out at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleging that he is unable to curb atrocities against women in the state.
He said that women, who are victims of atrocities, are in pain as they are not getting justice either under the Nirbhaya Act or under the "non-existent" Disha Act in Andhra Pradesh.
Lokesh came from Hyderabad to Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. He was scheduled to go to Narasaraopet in Guntur district to visit the family of a woman who was murdered in February this year. However, the police detained him at the airport, stating that there is no permission for his visit. Later, the police dropped him at his Amaravati residence in the evening.
Addressing a press conference, Lokesh said that the culprits of gang-rapes and murders were coming out on bail and threatening the family members of the victims, contrary to the state government's promises on punishment within 21 days under the Disha Act.
"The Chief Minister owed an apology to the girls and women of the state not being able to curb atrocities even as over 517 atrocities and rapes took place in the past two and half years of his rule," he said.
Lokesh said that if the state government did not stick to its unapproved Disha Act, all the 517 cases would have been registered under the Nirbhaya Act.
"The culprits would have got stringent punishment and they would not have come out on bail so soon. As a result, the criminals and anti-social elements were continuing their atrocities unabated. In the last 21 days itself, over 17 atrocities had taken place. Another gang-rape took place in Guntur district in the last 24 hours," he said.
The TDP leader said it was inefficient on the part of Reddy as the Disha Act has not received the Parliament's approval.
"When the YSRCP MP posed a question, the Central Government told the Parliament that it had asked some questions for which there were no answers from the Andhra Pradesh government. The Chief Minister, the Home Minister and the DGP should explain to the women why they were not being able to give replies to the Centre," he said.
Lokesh said that instead of clarifying to the Centre, the YSRCP government is still telling lies that they had booked cases and given death and life sentences to several culprits under the Disha Act.
He alleged Jagan Reddy resorted to 'funeral politics' over the dead body of his own father by trying for signatures of the MLAs.
"Jagan Reddy was also known for how he carried out a fake 'Odarpu Yatra' in the name of consoling the family members of some deceased persons. How could the YSRCP government deny permission to the TDP to visit Narasaraopet to extend support to a victim family," he questioned.
( With inputs from ANI )
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