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Lokesh padayatra yet to get police permission: TDP
Nara Lokesh said he had decided to go on the padayatra to get first-hand information on the problems being faced by all sections of the people. “We shall take the issues to the notice of the government. If it does not respond positively then the problems will be resolved once the TDP is back in power”
Hyderabad
The Andhra Pradesh police are yet to give permission to the proposed 4,000-km-long padayatra of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu’s son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh, even as the Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the state high court order suspending the government order banning roadshows and rallies all along the state and national highways.
TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah, who is coordinating the arrangements for padayatra, said he had already written to Director General of Police K V Rajendranath Reddy on January 9, seeking permission for padayatra of Lokesh, starting from Kuppam in Chittoor district on January 27.
“We have clearly mentioned that the padayatra would not cause any law and order issues and all care would be taken not to cause any inconvenience to the common people and also traffic flow on the roads. Yet, there was no response from the DGP,” he said.
Ramaiah said he had also written a reminder letter to all the police officials of Chittoor district on Friday requesting permission for Lokesh’s padayatra. “Since we need to make all the arrangements along the route, we sought an early approval from the police. However, they say they would take a call only after getting clearance from the top,” the TDP politburo member said.
The government moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday, challenging the high court order of January 12 suspending the controversial government order (GO No. 1 dated January 3) restricting public meetings on the road sides and roadshows on the main thoroughfares, including state and national highways.
Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for Andhra Pradesh, took objection to the vacation bench of the high court passing the order on an urgent basis when the matter was mentioned during the vacation.
But the Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the order of the high court saying the suspension on the GO was only up to January 23. A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising chief justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha directed that a high court bench headed by chief justice Prashant Kumar Mishra take up the matter.
The bench said that since the matter is posted on Monday, it will not interfere with the order at this stage. “We request a division bench headed by the chief justice of the state high court to take up this matter and hear on 23rd Jan 2023,” the SC bench said.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K Ramakrishna who challenged the GO before the high court.
Meanwhile, Lokesh held a video conference with the TDP politburo members, senior leaders, MPs and others to discuss the arrangements for his padayatra titled as “Yuva Galam.”
He said he had decided to go on the padayatra to get first-hand information on the problems being faced by all sections of the people. “We shall take the issues to the notice of the government. If it does not respond positively then the problems will be resolved once the TDP is back in power,” Lokesh said.
