Former AP CM escapes bid on life by Naxals

New Delhi: The former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, and his wife — Minister for Women Development and Child Welfare, N Rajyalakshmi — escaped an assassination bid by Maoists who triggered a landmine blast that killed three persons in Nellore district.

The landmine was planted in a culvert over which Reddy's convoy was to pass, on its way to the temple town of Tirupati. The attack took place at 6.30 am, about 15 minutes after the convoy left Vakadu, 72-year-old Reddy's native village.

Reddy, who represents Visakapatnam constituency in the Lok Sabha was on his way to Tirupati to participate in the convocation ceremony of Sri Venkateshwara University, when the attack took place.

While the former chief minister escaped unhurt, the Ford Fiesta behind his car bore the brunt of the blast killing two Congress workers and the driver.

Such was the impact of the blast that the car was was ripped into two horizontally, and a crater formed at the site.

Parts of the front portion were hurled to a distance of 400 metres and the engine 300 metres away. The rear seat and the boot remained on the spot.

The dead have been identified as Nagarjuna Reddy, a local youth Congress leader, Beshayya and driver Mallikarjun.

Though shaken Reddy and Rajyalakshmi said they would not be cowed by Maoist attacks.

Reddy, who gets maximum, Z category security, has been on the hit list of Maoists for several years now as the state government under his tenure as chief minister had banned the Naxals for the first time in 1992.

He had escaped a similar attempt on his life in February 2003, in Dachepalle in Guntur district.

"I am not worried about my life. I am sorry that I have lost two of my dear party workers," Reddy was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Suspect Held

A red alert has been sounded in Nellore and combing operations have been intensified to nab the culprits.

The Minister for Information, A Ramnarayan Reddy, was quoted as saying that a youth had been picked up at the site for interrogation.

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The man had claimed that he was an engineering student and had visited the Nedurumallis house in Vakadu on Thursday and again on Friday. He had sought help in securing admission for a post doctoral course and enquired whether the former CM was going to Tirupati. Minutes after the blast, he was seen at the spot.

Director General of Police, M A Basith, was quoted by PTI as saying that Maoists could have planted the explosives a few weeks ago, while the culvert was being constructed.

The police recovered electric wires and a camera flash gun — which may have been used to trigger the explosive — from the blast site.

Maoists Desperate To Prove Existence

Meanwhile, blaming the Maoists for the "cowardly act", AP Chief Minister Y S R Reddy said it reflected their desperation to prove their existence.

The Chief Minister, who was camping in his native district of Kadapa, spoke to the Reddy couple over phone and rushed to the state capital to review the law and order situation in the wake of the attack.

He said the security cover for VIPs would be strengthened and directed the police top brass to come up with a comprehensive plan to increase the basic policing at the field level for effectively tackling the extremist menace.

Andhra Pradesh Governor, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, too condemned the attack, saying, "I convey my heartfelt condolences to family members of those killed in the blast and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."

This is the second major strike by extremists in the state in the last two years. On August 15, 2005, senior Congress MLA, C Narsireddy and 10 others were gunned down by Maoists in Mahboobnagar district, after which the government reimposed the ban on CPI (Maoists).

In October 2003, former AP chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, survived an assassination attempt by the People's War (PW). Naidu had sustained minor injuries when a bomb exploded near his convoy at Ghat Road on the way to the Tirumala temple from Tirupati.

In March 2000, Panchayati Raj Minister A Madhav Reddy was killed in a landmine blast triggered by the PW. He was on the PW's hit list for his outspokenness on the issue of Naxal violence.