Amaravati, Jun 21 (IANS): Alleging threats to his life from leaders and cadres of his own party, YSRCP Member of Parliament K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju has appealed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to provide him with security.
In a letter to the Speaker, the Lok Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh's Narasapuram constituency said he was frightened to go to his constituency because of the violent protests against him by the legislators and cadres of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Raju wrote that his own party MLAs from the parliamentary constituency are staging protests by burning his effigies and threatening him for raising certain issues.
The MP said he opposed the recent proposal of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to sell a few properties donated by devotees. He stated that since he could not personally meet Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, he strongly objected to the proposal through the media.
Raju said he also brought to the notice of the Chief Minister through the media some issues like steep increase in the price of sand which has paralysed the construction activity.
"Since then my own party MLAs from my parliamentary constituency have started protests by burning my effigies and openly threatened by commenting that whenever I visit my parliamentary constituency similar treatment of burning me physically also," the MP wrote.
He said though he belonged to the ruling party, because of the protests by YSRCP MLAs and cadre without police resistance, he was frightened to go to the constituency without protection. "Since these violent agitations and events were conducted by the state ruling party MLAs and cadre, visiting my constituency with 1+1 constable facility belonging to state police provided to me is not safe."
Raju attached with his letter newspaper clippings of the protests against him.
Earlier, the MP's personal secretary wrote to the Superintendent of Police of West Godavari district complaining about the inaction by the police on his complaints against the YSRCP leaders and cadre who threatened the MP.
K.U. Krishna Varma said, apprehending threat to the MP's life, he lodged complaint at four police stations seeking necessary action but no case was registered.
Lodging a complaint with the SP under section 154 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, he sought action against the erring officials and direction to book the cases against those threatening the MP.