TDP announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for kin of Guntur stampede victims

Amaravathi: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday expressed shock over stampede at Guntur in which three persons died and announced Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy alsoannounced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

He instructed the officials to provide quality medicare to the injured.

Naidu, in a statement, said that he participated in the programme earlier organised by the Vuyyuru Foundation where kits were distributed to the poor. "It is really painful that three persons died in the stampede that took place after I left the venue as the programme was completed. I attended the programme only to encourage that voluntary organisation which is trying to help the poor," the former Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, TDP state President Atchen Naidu blamed Jaganmohan Reddy government for the
Guntur incident.

The Vuyyuru Foundation organised the programme at Guntur for distribution of Janatha clothes and Sankrathi Kanuka only with the proper permission of the police, he said.

Atchen Naidu asked if it was not the duty of the state government to provide proper security and manage the crowd when so many people were attending the programme for which the former Chief Minister is the chief guest. Stating that the Chandrababu Naidu government then provided enough security fot the padayatra undertaken by Jagan Mohan Reddy when he was in the opposition, he asked as to why such steps were not taken now.

Maintaining that there is no minimum security when such a stampede had taken place, the TDP state unt President said that even those who were present there did not act properly. Without announcing the financial assistance to the bereaved families soon after the incident, the Cabinet ministers began passing the blame on the TDP, he remarked.

Atchen Naidu felt that the YSRCP's social media is resorting to blame game and said that all these developments are providing scope for several doubts. Eight persons died at Kandukur as there was no enough police security while no untoward incident took place either at Kavali or at Kovvur since enough security arrangements were made, he said.

Demanding that proper security arrangements be made for the meetings of Chandrababu Naidu, he advised the Chief Minister not to resort to blame game.

Atchen Naidu also demanded that the Government distribute Sankranthi, Christmas and Ramzan gifts as the earlier government did.