TDP leader and former Andhra Pradesh Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy was on Monday, October 2, arrested over his recent sexist remarks against Minister RK Roja, and derogatory comments on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He was arrested amid high drama from his residence in Anakapalli district. After medical tests at Anakapalli hospital, he is likely to be shifted to Guntur.
Bandaru had triggered a row with his controversial comments earlier on September 27, when he had called YSRCP leader Roja “a woman of the street.” He claimed that he was in possession of her pornographic videos, and threatened to leak them and “drive Roja and her husband to suicide” if she didn’t stop speaking about jailed former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his family members in a derogatory way. He made several other crass, sexist remarks on the Minister and blamed CM Jagan for failing to “control”her.
Two separate cases were booked against Bandaru for making derogatory comments against CM Jagan and Minister. There was a tense situation around his house since late Sunday with the deployment of police force.
Read: In Andhra, row over TDP leader’s sexist remarks on Minister Roja intensifies
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader on Monday sat on hunger strike at his residence to protest the arrest of party chief and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development Corporation case. A team of police officials from Guntur served notices to Murthy under Sections 41A and 41B (related to arrest procedure) of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and arrested him.
Leaders of ruling YSR Congress Party had condemned Bandaru’s remarks on Roja. AP Women’s Commission (APWC) Chairperson Vasireddy Padma had written to Director General of Police (DGP) KV Rajendranath Reddy seeking action against Bandaru. Padma said that Murthy made “adverse, despicable remarks” personally abusing Roja, “insulting her modesty and defaming” the woman minister.
Meanwhile, TDP leaders have condemned Murthy’s arrest. They asked why no action was taken against Roja and other YSRCP leaders when they made derogatory comments about Chandrababu Naidu’s wife Nara Bhuvaneswari. However, Roja had denied making denigrating remarks against Bhuvaneshwari and her daughter-in-law Brahmani and said, “I only told them not to lie and lose people’s respect for them… Are only Bhuvaneshwari and Brahmani women? Are women in YSRCP, not women (worthy of respect)?”
With IANS inputs