aAs the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party (JSP) and Bharatiya Janata Party prepare for next year’s Andhra Pradesh elections, the government passed an order in early January threatening It was given to obstruct the work of opposition parties. In light of the death of 11 people in two incidents of roadshow stampedes in the state, the government issued an order banning roadshows and rallies on grounds of public safety. The controversial order faced ire from opposition parties. On 13 January, a vacation bench of the High Court said that the order would be kept in abeyance till 23 January. The state government has now challenged the stay on the implementation of the order by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. ,
The first stampede, in which eight people died, took place at Kandukur in Nellore district, where former chief minister N. Occurred during a roadshow addressed by Chandrababu Naidu. The second occurred at a private event in Guntur, apparently during a rush for freebies, and claimed the lives of three women. Shri Naidu was again the chief guest at that function.
Some ministers and a host of YSRCP leaders held Mr Naidu responsible for both the incidents, saying his “penance for publicity” led to the loss of lives. He argued that Mr. Naidu’s motorcade had passed through the narrow lanes of Kandukur in gross violation of police instructions. He said the organizers had failed to make proper arrangements and the police could do little to control the surging crowd. YSRCP leaders also said that it was the failure of TDP workers, who were involved in the distribution of gifts by a charitable trust, that led to the incident in Guntur. The opposition parties hit back at the government saying that the responsibility of preventing such incidents rests with the police.
By issuing an order banning roadshows and rallies, the government broke the pitch for opposition parties, who are trying to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor through their massive outreach programmes. Mr Naidu and JSP president K Pawan Kalyan argued that the order was intended to prevent them from reaching out to the people. He termed it a British-era order designed to crack down on opposition parties rallying together ahead of elections. The government rejected these allegations and said the order applied to all parties, including the YSRCP.
Mr. Kalyan was in discussion with Mr. Naidu at the former chief minister’s residence in Hyderabad for at least two hours, before the political heat generated by the order subsided. Mr Kalyan is clearly at odds with his alliance partner, the BJP. He said he called Mr. Naidu to express solidarity with him as the TDP chief was stopped by the police from holding a roadshow in Kuppam assembly constituency days after the government order was issued and finally to hold house-to-house meetings. was forced. , However, analysts say there is more to the meeting than meets the eye.
The Government Order is a mere reiteration of prohibitory orders issued regularly in accordance with Section 30 of the Police Act of 1861, which empowers it to impose reasonable restrictions on any given day if the situation so warrants. The fact that the Police Act was introduced by the British to deal with the insurgency of the time prompted opposition parties to term the order as an archaic piece of legislation. A highly placed official said on the condition of anonymity, there is nothing wrong in the government order; It only means that the permissions granted for public gatherings will be more scrutinized by the police with due involvement of district collectors. In the SLP, the State Government has stated that the High Court has failed to note that Section 30 of the Police Act allows the State to establish a procedure for granting permission to public meetings based on applications filed by the organisers. Regardless of the legal validity of the order, the ruling party and the opposition will not compromise easily, else they will be seen as losers before the race even starts. The courts’ decision on the order could have an impact on future political meetings. Irrespective of political influence, the police and parties should take adequate security measures before any political gathering in future so that precious lives are not put in danger.