Chandrababu Naidu loses VVIP status

Hyderabad: Since losing power, the woes of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu continue to rise. Close on the heels of the state police downgrading his security, Naidu was made to go through airport security like any other ordinary traveller. His bullet-proof car was also not allowed to enter the airport.

Naidu, who was travelling from Vijayawada to Hyderabad on Friday evening, had to join the queue along with the other passengers and a member of Central Industrial Security Force frisked him in full public view.

Naidu, whose convoy until the other day used to enter the airport from a separate gate and who was treated like a VVIP, had to board a bus along with the other passengers to reach the aircraft from the boarding gate.

Naidu, who was chief minister for 15 years during his more than four decades-long political career and was one of the senior most political figures in the country, enjoys Z-plus security as he is on the top of the hit list of left-wing extremists. He narrowly escaped an attempt on his life by Maoists in October 1993.

However, the officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Naidu was treated at par with any other former chief minister. “Only a person protected by the Special Protection Group is exempted from [airport] security check, while Mr Naidu is protected by National Security Guards”, an official said.

The treatment meted out to Naidu has evoked a sharp criticism from his Telugu Desam Party. Former home minister Chinna Rajappa alleged that in the process of such treatment, the security of Naidu had been compromised. “He was in opposition for many years, but never faced this kind of situation,” he said.

Buddha Venkananna, the TDP spokesperson, said that this was an attempt by those in the current government to crudely demonstrate their power. “This is a systematic campaign,” he said, alleging that the YSR Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were resorting to vindictiveness and witch-hunting against Naidu.

He pointed out that the government had recently reduced Naidu’s convoy.

While Naidu was under round-the-clock protection by nearly two dozen security personnel, recently two vehicles were withdrawn from his convoy. Now he will not have any pilot and escort vehicle in his convoy.

While Naidu was facing this treatment, the TDP workers were also bearing the brunt of violence at the hands of the workers and supporters of the ruling YSR Congress Party. Naidu alleged that in the last three weeks, since the YSR Congress-led by YS Jaganmohan Reddy came to power, more than 100 attacks on TDP workers took place. “TDP came to power five times, but it never resorted to attacks on opponents. But now it has become a routine for our political opponents to attack our party workers,” he said.

The TDP state committee meeting decided to make an ex-gratia payment of Rs500,000 (Dh26,483) to the kith and kin of every party worker who died in such attacks.