Hours after his return to the State from Delhi visit, Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy had directed the police to take action against Nelluru Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, in the assault on Venkatachalam MPDO Sarala.
The Chief Minister had summoned DGP D Gautham Sawang and got the initial report on the allegation against the MLA and directed the DGP to take action if the MLA is guilty.
Minutes of the chief minister’s direction, the State police have arrested the MLA. Jaganmohan Reddy, thus proved himself as a different leader unlike his predecessor, Chandrababu Naidu.
Chandrababu Naidu had backed his then MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar, when the later physically assaulted MRO Vanajakshi. He even blamed the MRO and not the MLA.
Chintamaneni and Vanajakshi issue went viral in the social media and in fact, this was one of the reasons for the TDP’s humiliating defeat in the 2019 general elections.
Though Sridhar Reddy did not assault the officer physically, the chief minister acted swiftly and arrested his own party MLA, who is also his staunch loyalist.
By arresting his own loyalist, Jaganmohan Reddy gave a clear indication to the police to act tough and not to take political intervention seriously.
The arrest had put Jaganmohan Reddy several steps above the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu.
Rule is rule and rule for all is what the message that Jaganmohan Reddy had given to the people with the arrest of Sridhar Reddy.
This message goes clearly down the line among the bureaucrats, who have to make up their mind, accept the reality that Chandrababu Naidu is not the chief minister and toe Jaganmohan Reddy’s line, though difficult for those hard-core Naidu’s officers.