TDP general secretary, MPs call on President seeking her intervention to secure Chandrababu’s release

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) General Secretary Nara Lokesh, accompanied by a group of party MPs called on President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday, requesting her to intervene and secure the release of jailed TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Lokesh alleged that the leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh assembly, who is currently in judicial remand at Rajamahendravaram Central Prison for his alleged role in the Skill Development Corporation scam, was unjustly detained -- driven by political vendetta.

“I humbly request you to intervene in this matter and ask for your support in denouncing the baseless allegations against Naidu. Your support can help bring attention to the injustice that is being perpetrated against an innocent man,” Lokesh said in a letter to Murmu, besides meeting her personally.

The TDP general secretary pointed out to the President that there is allegedly no evidence to show that a scam was perpetrated with regard to the Skill Development Corporation and that it was fabricated to frame Naidu.

He said these charges appear to be an alleged political conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the ''unblemished and non-corrupt reputation'' of his father, who served as chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh for nine years and another five more years after the state was bifurcated.

Lokesh praised his father as a globally-recognised, honest and a visionary leader who devoted 45 years of his life for the development of Andhra Pradesh and the country.

“Naidu’s illegal arrest is a culmination of vindictive politics and misuse of power that was observed right from the time YSRCP came to power,” he said.

TDP MPs K Ravindra Kumar, Jayadev Galla, K Srinivas and K Ram Mohan Naidu, who accompanied Lokesh, have also submitted a letter to the President, appealing to her to intervene and ensure that justice is promptly served, especially by securing the immediate release of Naidu from judicial custody.

Naidu was arrested on September 9 for allegedly misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation, which is said to have resulted in a loss of over Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.