YSRCP rebel MLA alleges threat to life

Amaravati, Feb 5 (IANS) Nellore rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, who has raised the banner of revolt against the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), alleged on Sunday that though he has been receiving threatening phone calls, the government has scaled down his security.

The MLA, who created a sensation recently by alleging that his phones were being tapped, said his security was scaled with orders from the top.

Sridhar Reddy said the government had given him four gunmen (security guards) and on Saturday it issued orders to take back two of them.

He said the gunmen were taken back to mentally harass him. He said ever since he spoke about phone tapping he had been receiving threatening phone calls.

"In this situation, I need additional security but even the existing security was withdrawn. This would not have been done without orders from the top," he said

"The government took back two gunmen but I am surrendering the remaining two as a gift to it. I am not afraid of anybody. I will go around alone," he said.

Sridhar Reddy said he was not afraid of threats or the false cases being booked against him.

The police had Saturday booked Sridhar Reddy and two others with alleged kidnapping of a ruling YSRC corporator and attempting to compel him into resigning from the party.

A case was registered against them for trespassing into home and kidnapping M. Vijayabhaskar Reddy, a corporator of Nellore city, with criminal intent.

The ruling party corporator, in his complaint, said Kotamreddy tried to persuade him to leave YSRCP and join him. When he refused, the corporator alleged, one of the MLA's followers, along with driver Ankaiah, intimidated and abducted him from the Padarupalli area on Friday between 2.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and took him to the MLA. The corporator stated that he, however, managed to flee and filed a case against the MLA at Vedayapalem police station.

However, Sridhar Reddy clarified that he went to corporator Vijayabhaskar's house to talk to him. For that, a kidnapping case has been filed against him.

On Saturday, an audio tape of a phone call between Sridhar Reddy and one Borugadda Anil went viral on social media. In the audio, Anil warns the MLA to be careful in his public speeches regarding the YSRCP chief. Anil is heard threatening the MLA that he (Sridhar Reddy) and his brother would be chained to a vehicle and dragged through the streets of Nellore if they continue to criticise Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSRCP party leaders.