Visakhapatnam
The Forum for Development of North Andhra (FDNA) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) have on Sunday complained to the Chief Electoral Officer that Andhra University Vice-Chancellor P.V.G.D. Prasad Reddy and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy violated the MLC Election Code by attending a meeting with correspondents of private degree colleges at a hotel here on Sunday.
CITU Visakhapatnam secretary S. Jyothiswara Rao said that YSRCP candidate for the MLC elections of North Andhra Graduate Constituency Seethamraju Sudhakar arranged the meeting, in which AU V-C and TTD Chairman participated.
He urged the Chief Electoral Officer to intervene and take action against the officials and reject Mr. Sudhakar’s nomination.
FDNA General Secretary A. Aja Sarma alleged that Mr. Prasad Reddy had arranged the meeting with the correspondents of the affiliated private degree college and invited YSRCP leaders, including the TTD Chairman. The meeting was held with the intention of influencing the college managements to vote in favour of the ruling party candidate.
“We requested the Chief Electoral Officer to get all the CCTV footage of the hotel immediately, otherwise, the ruling party may destroy all the evidence,” Mr. Sarma said.
The CITU and the SFI leaders and activists staged a protest at the hotel demanding action against the officials who indulged in the abuse of power.
Former Telugu Desam Party MLC A.S. Ramakrishna said that it was unfortunate that the AU V-C held the meeting with the political leaders of the ruling party to seek votes for the ruling party candidate. The V-C converted the university into a YSRCP office, he alleged.
TDP leader Palla Srinivas alleged that Registrar V. Krishna Mohan had also participated in the meeting .
When contacted, Mr. Prasad Reddy said, “When some unconnected persons with the university system, are found to manufacture things according to their whims and fancies, for the reasons known to them, the best weapons which I learned to apply are silence and smile.”
Published - February 19, 2023 11:05 pm IST
