A government order (GO Rt No. 88) issued by the YSR Congress party government in the name of chief secretary Neelam Sawhney, extending the provisions of the National Security Act (NSA) by three months for preventive detention of people suspected of creating troubles for law and order kicked up a lot of heat and dust in the political circles.
The GO, which was issued on January 14, surfaced on Friday evening. It states that the collectors and district magistrates of all districts and police commissioners of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam are empowered to make the preventive detentions, if they are convinced that the persons have the potential to create trouble to the public order.
The orders came in effect from Thursday (Jan 16) and will be in force till April 15. Naturally, the GO has been seen as an attempt to crush the agitation by the farmers of Amaravati, who are all set to storm the assembly on Monday to stall the passage of the bill to shift the administrative capital to Visakhapatnam.
Since the bill envisages giving powers to the collectors and police officials to make preventive detentions, the opposition leaders have raised a hue and cry stating that it is anti-democratic move to curb the protests of Amaravati farmers.
Telugu Desam Party MP from Guntur Galla Jayadev was quick to tweet condemning the Jagan government’s oppressive order.
“Unable to suppress the #SaveAmaravati movement, AP Govt has resorted to oppressing the people. With this order the Govt can detain a person for up to 3 months, in any part of the State. If this not oppression then what is? Where is the #threat to #NationalSecurity in the State?” he tweeted.
Even reputed national television channel like India Today came up with a tweet describing it as anti-democratic.
But, if one were to look at the GO, one can notice that there is nothing unusual about it. It is not a new decision, but the preventive detentions under NSA have already been in force in the state for several years.
Only thing is that the government has to issue fresh notifications extending the same every three months.
As per the GO, the provisions of the NSA had been in vogue from October 16, 2019 to January 15, 2020. Now, they are being given extension for another three months.
During the TDP regime, too, the same orders had been in force and were being extended from time to time.
In fact, the government issues a similar GO every year extending ban on the CPI (Maoist) and its affiliated organisations, because it is mandatory on the part of the government to do so, unless it decides to lift the ban.
So, all the fuss that is being made now on the GO is only because of the ongoing agitation for Amaravati capital. Otherwise, it is yet another routine GO!
