Hyderabad: A live TV debate on an Andhra Pradesh-based Telugu news channel turned ugly after a panellist threw shoe at a local BJP leader.
BJP state general secretary S Vishnuvardhan Reddy, who was also a panellist in the live TV debate, was hit with a shoe by K Srinivasa Rao, a member of the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Joint Action Committee (JAC).
The BJP has condemned the ‘chappal attack’ on its Andhra Pradesh unit general secretary during a television debate in Hyderabad and alleged that it was “clearly an act sponsored by the TDP”.
“The Andhra Pradesh state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to boycott ABN TV and Andhra Jyoti, which have been working as a Telugu Desam party pamphlet and in complete negation of media standards and moral values,” tweeted the state BJP unit.
The Andhra Pradesh state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to boycott ABN TV and Andhra Jyoti, which have been working as a Telugu Desam party pamphlet and in complete negation of media standards and moral values. pic.twitter.com/8W6Co49HGO
— BJP ANDHRA PRADESH (@BJP4Andhra) February 24, 2021
BJP State Unit Chief Somu Veeraraju has condemned the incident in a tweet. Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao also joined Veeraraju in condemning the incident. “If TDP says it has no role in it, Shri Chandrababu Naidu should condemn attacker Srinivas unequivocally,” he said.
When BJP’s Vishnuvardhan Reddy accused K Srinivasa Rao of having links with the TDP, it led to a verbal spat. But when Reddy kept mocking Rao over his links with TDP, it angered him and he finally threw his shoe at the BJP leader.
“TDP leaders stooped to a new low and its leaders have lost civility and decency. The chappal attack on Vishnuvardhan on a live TV debate is deplorable,” Minister of State for External Affairs V Muralidharan said.
The incident happened during a debate on Telugu satellite news channel on the Amaravati development issue.