Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, normally a cool customer even in trying circumstances, lost his temper for once in public, when his convoy was obstructed by some BJP leaders near the JNTU- Kakinada campus on Friday morning.
The Chief Minister was on his way to lay the foundation stone for a new port being constructed by the GMR Group and also a new petrochem complex in the Kakinada special economic zone (KSEZ).
His convoy was obstructed by Saligramam Lakshmiprasanna, a BJP corporator of the Kakinada municipal corporation, and other BJP leaders and an enraged Chief Minister asked them to keep off the road.
Undeterred, Lakshmiprasanna posed a question to the CM, “Sir, day in and day out, you are attacking the Centre and the Prime Minister for not releasing funds to the State. But have you made constructive use of the funds already released? You owe the people an explanation.”
A visibly angry Chief Minister admonished her. “You should get your facts right before indulging in such absurd talk. What has Prime Minister Modi done for the State? He has betrayed the trust of the people. When TDP MPs are fighting for the rights of the people in the Lok Sabha, they have been suspended for four days. Are you not ashamed of the undemocratic conduct of the top leaders of your party? Behave yourselves, otherwise the people of the State will teach you a lesson.”
Not yielding an inch, the BJP leader sought to further engage the Chief Minister in a verbal exchange, but she and her companions were taken into custody and removed from the scene by the police.
Several district BJP leaders were kept under house arrest by the district police during the Chief Minister’s visit.