TDP's Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy Arrested For Derogatory Remarks Against Andhra CM

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader and former Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy was arrested on Monday for allegedly making derogatory statements against Andhra Chief Minster YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and state Tourism, Culture and Youth Advancement Minister RK Roja. Heavy police were deployed to arrest the former minister of the state.

According to ANI, a case has been registered at the Nagara Palem police station in Guntur district against Murthy, citing violations of sections 41 (A), 41 (B), 153, 294, 504, and 505 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

A team of Guntur Police reached Murthy’s residence in Veenelapalem village of Parawada Mandal in Anakapalli district on Monday night to serve the minister a notice and arrest him. The news agency reported that Murthy initially refrained from opening the door for a long time and kept watch on it. The police team had to break open the door and arrest him. After medical tests at Anakapalli Hospital, he is likely to be shifted to Guntur.

Bandaru had triggered a row with his controversial comments earlier on September 27, when he called YSRCP leader Roja “a woman of the street”. He also claimed that he had possession of her pornographic videos and threatened to leak them and “drive Roja and her husband to suicide” if she didn’t stop speaking against jailed former state Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his family members in a derogatory way. He even made several other sexist remarks about the minister and blamed CM Jagan for failing to control her.

The TDP leader on Monday sat on a hunger strike at his residence to protest the arrest of party chief Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development Corporation case.

Leaders of the ruling party of the state have also condemned Bandaru’s remarks on Roja. Even Roja’s husband and filmmaker RK Selvamani has responded to the whole controversy. Selvamani said that they are condemning such heinous and vulgar comments. He mentioned that they are prepared to move legally against Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy.

Selvamani added that while they don’t take any political criticism against Roja to heart, this time it was too personal, assassinating her personal character and nature. He even asked Bandaru to show proof and reveal all the details.

Meanwhile, Murthy has filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.