Andhra Pradesh Government had released a G.O. banning Public meetings and rallies on roads. This includes National Highways, Municipal, and Panchayat roads. This decision is very much expected after a stunning response to the roadshows of Chandrababu Naidu.
Recent mishaps in Kandukur and Guntur gave a chance to Jagan to cancel the permissions.
This G.O. will impact Nara Lokesh’s Padayatra and Pawan Kalyan‘s Bus Yatra along with Chandrababu‘s Road Shows.
This rule as always will be strictly applied to the Opposition. There is a provision in the G.O. where the CPs and SPs can give permission in extraordinary circumstances. Naturally, those extraordinary circumstances will come only for the Ruling Party.
The officials are directed to earmark special places to conduct such meetings. Obviously, these places will be selected as they will be inaccessible so that Opposition parties will not get proper crowds.
Political Parties say this G.O. infringes Article 19(1)(c) – the Right to Freedom of Assembly.
With elections fast approaching in Andhra Pradesh, this is an attempt to restrict the opposition from going to the people. The Kandukur and Guntur incidents were used to enforce that.
But then, any such failure is also a failure of the local administration and the police including the organizers. But the Government used the opportunity for its own benefit.
