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Updated: Jul 05, 2019 18:08 IST

After lying low for over a month following a crushing defeat in the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has now put the ruling YSR Congress party headed by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in his line of fire.

Naidu, who made the first public appearance after the defeat in his native constituency Kuppam in Chittoor district last week, has decided to tour different parts of the state to rejuvenate the TDP cadres and console party workers who were allegedly victimized in the post-poll violence.

On Friday, the TDP president visited Rudramambapuram village in Prakasam district to console the family of TDP worker Basamgari Padma, who had committed suicide out of humiliation, after she was allegedly stripped and assaulted by YSRC workers in a clash with TDP activists on June 25.

Naidu spent some time with Padma’s husband Brahmaiah and their children Karthik and Varun. He garlanded her portrait and paid homage to the departed soul. Later, he presented a cheque of Rs 7.65 lakh to the family on behalf of the party.

“The party will stand by the family and extend all support to the orphaned children,” he said and asked the cadre to be brave to fight against what he called the atrocities of YSRC workers.

“It was unfortunate that the YSRC workers had brutally assaulted a woman, stripped her on the streets and filmed her in their mobile phones. The chief minister doesn’t utter a word, while the home minister who is a woman doesn’t care. It appears the government wants to convert the entire state into faction-ridden Pulivendula, the home constituency of the chief minister,” he alleged.

Naidu also pointed out that the YSRC government had scaled down security cover to him. “If anything happens to me, the government will be held responsible. It cannot control the situation that may go out of hands,” he warned.

The TDP president is planning to visit Anantapur, Guntur and other places in the next few days to meet the families of party workers who died in clashes with the YSRC workers.

Also read: Andhra govt serves eviction notice to former CM Naidu

The TDP on Thursday launched a toll-free number –7306299999 – to help party workers and supporters across the state bring to the notice of the party if they are attacked by the YSRCP.

“The party will take such issues with the police first and if no action is taken, it will launch a legal battle,” Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh said at the party headquarters in Guntur.

He also announced creation of a legal cell in the party to provide legal assistance to the party workers who suffered in the hands of the YSRC workers. Similar legal wings would be created in all the district party units, he said.

While home minister M Sucharitha accused the TDP of politicizing even property disputes between two groups, minister for urban development Botsa Satyanarayana said the TDP workers themselves were attacking YSRC activists but were making counter-allegations.

Last week, a delegation of YSRC leaders led by Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy submitted a memorandum to Director General of Police Gautam Sawang complaining that the TDP leaders, who were not able to digest the defeat in the elections, were attacking on YSRC workers.

The DGP conceded that there were a few incidents of violence after the elections but they were mostly localized. “We shall contain them and maintain a perfect law and order,” he said.