முன்னாள் காங்கிரஸ் ஆந்திர முதல்வர் ஜனார்தன் ரெட்டிமீது நக்ஸலைட்டுகள் தாக்குதல்

தற்போதைய ஆந்திர காங்கிரஸ் அரசு நக்சலைட்டுகளுடன் பேச்சுவார்தை நடத்துவதை முன்வைத்து தேர்தலில் ஜெயித்தது. ஆனால், நக்ஸலைட்டுகளோ தங்களது கம்யூனிஸ பயங்கரவாதத்தினை காங்கிரஸ் மீதே திருப்புகின்றனர்

முன்னாள் காங்கிரஸ் முதல்வர் ஜனார்தன் ரெட்டி குடும்பத்தினர் மீது நடந்த தாக்குதலில் மூவர் உயிரிழந்தனர். ஜனார்தன் ரெட்டியும் அவரது துணைவியாரும் தப்பினர்.

பயங்கரவாதிகளுடன் பேச்சுவார்த்தை என்றுமே பலனளிக்காது. அவர்களுடைய மிரட்டல்களுக்கு அடிபணிவது என்றுமே அவர்களது தீவிரவாதத்தை குறைக்க உதவாது.

NJR, Wife escaped Maoists blast, 3 killed
Updated: 09-08-2007

HYDERABAD :Maoists on Friday blasted a landmine to harm former chief minister and Member of Parliament N. Janardhan Reddy and his wife, Women and Child Welfare Minister Nedurmalli Rajyalakshmi, but they had a providential escape. However, two Congress functionaries and a driver were killed in the blast which occurred at a culvert between Vidya Nagar and Chandrasekharapuram, 70 km from Nellore town.

This is the first major Maoist attack on a VIP after the killing of Mahbubnagar Congress MLA C. Narsi Reddy in 2005. It is a clear message that Left extremism is alive and kicking. Police have picked up a person whom security guards of the two Congress leaders identified as having loitered near the MP’s house on Thursday.

“We suspect that a team of Maoists who retreated from Nallamala forest may be behind the attack,” said an intelligence official.Mr Janardhan Reddy was on his way to Tirupathi to receive a doctorate from the SV University along with his wife when the Maoists made an attempt on his life.

The former chief minister escaped only because a car which was behind overtook his vehicle near the culvert and suffered the full impact of the landmine blast. It was so powerful that the bodies of the three persons in the car were charred beyond recognition. The Ford Fiesta car was torn into two and one half was thrown 100 metres away.

Police identified the victims as Burla Nagarjuna Reddy, 47, of Nellore, Payasam Dasaiah, 40, of Venkatagiri and the driver, Mallikarjun, 35, of Nellore. Mr Nagarjuna Reddy was a Youth Congress functionary while Mr Dasaiah contested as a Congress nominee in the civic polls unsuccessfully. Mr Janardhan Reddy was severely shaken by the incident and burst into tears after coming to know of the deaths of his followers. His wife regained her composure quickly.

“It would have been much better if I had been killed instead of them,” he told mediapersons later. The couple left from the MP’s house at Vakadu in a Benz car at about 6.10 am with a circle inspector’s car as pilot vehicle. They were followed by a car carrying security personnel and the minister state car. The ill-fated Ford Fiesta, owned by Mr Nagarjuna Reddy, was just behind the MP’s car.
When the blast occurred, the former chief minister’s driver told him that it could be a tyre burst. However, the security personnel immediately realised that it was a landmine blast. DSP Ravi Prakash, in charge of Mr Janardhan Reddy’s security, urged the convoy to speed ahead fearing that the attackers might be around. Security personnel stopped the car only at Chittedu, about five km from the blast site.
Mr Janardhan Reddy and Ms Rajyalakshmi were taken to the house of a former village administrative officer to enable them to recover from the shock. The former CM wanted to go back home and district collector M. Ravichandra and superintendent of police K. Lakshmi Reddy had a tough time convincing him that it could be dangerous.
He left the place only after security personnel checked all the culverts in between Chittedu and Nellore. Police said that the Maoists were targeting Mr Janardhan Reddy and not Ms Rajyalakshmi. “They wanted to get maximum mileage by targeting a former chief minister,” said Nellore SP Lakshmi Reddy.
Mr Janardhan Reddy had banned the People’s War Group in 1992 when he was chief minister. “We think that Nallamala forest divisional committee secretary T Panduranga Reddy alias Pratap played a key role, in the attack” said an intelligence official. “Maoist chief Sambasivudu and action specialist Ashanna may also be involved.” Ashanna was behind the attacks on chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and former home minister A. Madhava Reddy.
Home minister Jana Reddy visited the blast site and said that police had reached no conclusions about the blast.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed his grief at the deaths while speaking to the former chief minister. Other senior Congress leaders also got in touch Mr Janardhan Reddy.