The murder of YSR Congress party leader Sheik Rasheed at Vinukonda town of Palnadu district on Wednesday night has pushed Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to a corner.
Though there have been sporadic attacks on the YSRCP activists here and there for the last month, they have not taken any violent turn and created any political trouble for the Naidu government.
But the brutal murder of the YSRCP activist at Vinukonda town came in as a big embarrassment to Naidu, who was incidentally planning to release a white paper on the law and order situation during the YSRCP regime.
Fearing backlash from various quarters, Naidu quietly deferred his plans to release the white paper. An official statement from the government said it would be released in the state assembly during the budget session commencing on July 23.
The YSRCP alleged that the accused, Jilani, was a ruling Telugu Desam Party worker, but the TDP shot back saying both Rasheed and Jilani were the YSRCP workers and the murder took place due to personal disputes.
Both the sides took to social media to present their version, but the fact remains that a brutal murder took place in the presence of a crowd, reflecting the bad law and order situation in the state.
So, Naidu cannot get away saying the murder took place due to personal rivalry. He has to tighten up the situation before it slips out of his hands.
The YSRCP will definitely look to capitalise on such murders and create a sense of insecurity among the people.
It is time the chief minister bring the law and order under control at the earliest, without giving any scope to the political rivals.
