Land Titling Act:
Vijayawada: May 5: In a consequential move echoing Election Commission of India (ECI) directives, Andhra Pradesh CID has launched legal proceedings against Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. The case revolves around an alleged “fake” campaign concerning the Land Titling Act. Alongside Naidu, the case also involves his son Nara Lokesh and another individual, all named in the criminal complaint initiated by CID investigators.
This legal action stems from a formal complaint filed by Vijayawada Central YSRC MLA Malladi Vishnuvardhan, who outlined a purported misinformation drive engineered by TD’s leadership. The complaint detailed instances where voters received Interactive Voice Response (IVR) calls conveying messages urging them to withdraw support from YSRC President and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, instead favoring Chandrababu Naidu. These calls, as per the complaint, misrepresented the Land Titling Act as a threat to voters’ property and land records.
The contents of these IVR calls, allegedly part of Telugu Desam’s political strategy, are viewed as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) established by the Election Commission. The MCC guidelines expressly forbid the dissemination of unverified claims and personal attacks against political rivals, emphasising a focus on policies, programmes, and past performances.
In response to the complaint, a criminal case was lodged at the CID police station in Mangalagiri under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Supporting evidence, including audio recordings stored on a pen drive, has been submitted as part of the First Information Report (FIR).
The complainant has urged the Election Commission to take swift action, instructing Telugu Desam to halt its alleged misinformation campaign and seeking explanations from telecom operators involved in facilitating these IVR calls.