Sangma denied permission to meet Jagan

[1]

A cold reception awaited NDA’s presidential candidate P.A. Sangma when he visited the city on Monday to seek support from various political parties. Not only was he not allowed to meet Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in prison, he could not meet Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu who was away in Vijayawada or TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao who was at his farmhouse in Medak.

He, however, managed to meet YSR Congress honorary president Y.S. Vijayalakshmi and other YSR Congress leaders at her Lotus Pond residence but did not get a positive response to his presidential candidature. She told him that the party would soon take a decision. The state BJP leadership, too, was not aware of his visit and did not meet him. “We have no knowledge about his visit, he did not inform us that he is coming, we have no plans of meeting him either,” BJP state president G. Kishen Reddy told this newspaper.

Sangma: clear discrimination
Presidential candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma, who reached the city early on Monday, reached Chanchalguda prison at around 10 am and waited patiently to meet Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy for a few minutes before he was told that the jailer was not there and he should return at around 11 am. When Mr Sangma returned, he was told that there was no possibility of meeting the Kadapa MP during mulaqat time as it was only meant for relatives. Mr Sangma told the jail authorities that he had been given time on Monday in response to his letter requesting a meeting with Mr Reddy.

“I came all the way from Delhi to meet him, what is wrong in it? I had been MP for 31 years and worked 10 years as Chief Minister of a state. Is it proper on your part to deny me appointment?” Mr Sangma argued. The jail authorities then told him they could not allow people on political missions to meet prisoners. A furious Mr Sangma retorted, “What kind of discrimination is this? You allowed Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi to meet Mr Reddy a few days back and convey his feelings regarding the Presidential elections. Here I am, the Presidential candidate himself and you want to deny me an appointment. This is a clear case of discrimination.”

He later returned to his star hotel and remained there till the evening before leaving for Delhi. He also tried to meet Mr Chandrasekhar Rao who was at his farmhouse in Medak but in vain. He however spoke to Mr Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter Kavita and conveyed the purpose of his visit. She, in turn, promised to speak to her father. Mr Sangma also waited for Mr Naidu to return from Vijayawada in the evening but the TD chief stayed back.