Janardhan Reddy and his wife escapes unhurt in landmine blast

Sep 07:Former Andhra CM and presently Central Member of Parliament of the lower house N Janardhan Reddy along with his Wife N Rajyalakshmi, state Women and Child Welfare Minister escape unhurt in a land mine blast triggered near Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning while their fleet were going to Tirupati for participating in the convocation ceremony of Sri Venkateshwara University. Three other local congress leaders died on the spot while two men are seriously injured, according to sources.

N Janardana Reddy and his wife N Rajyalaksmi along with several local congress leaders were going to Tirupati to participate in the convocation ceremony of Sri Venkateshwara University where N Janardhan Reddy had to receive the doctorate degree from the University when the mine attack held in the midway near Chitwedu village of Nellora district at 6:30 am Friday morning. Three people include two local congress leaders and the driver of N Rajyalakshmi died on the spot while two other people sitting inside behind blasted car were seriously injured. They have been admitted nearby hospital.

It is assumed that the attack was operated by the naxalists and the explosion was triggered by the remote control. According to local police, Naxalites were targeting the car of N Rajyalakshmi who was not present on that blasted car. At that time, she was with her husband in his car. On the other hand three other people include two local congress leaders were inside the car of Rajyalakshmi that was blasted and all the three include the car driver died on the spot. Janardhan reddy’s car was just two cars behind from the blasted car. The mine was set up in a open drain near Chitwedu village targeting fleet of Reddy comprising 21 vehicles.

Reddy represents Visakapatnam constituency in the lower house of the Parliament. He is in the hit list of the moist since when he imposed a ban on naxalites for the first time in May 1992, when he was the Chief Minister of the state of that time. He had also been escaped from similar attack attempted in 2003. Later N T Rama Rao, the successor of Reddy lifted the ban from the moist in 2005.

Earlier, former AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had also escaped from an attack attempted by the People's War targeting him to kill when he was on the post of AP Chief Minister in October 2003. He had got some minor injuries when a bomb exploded near his fleet at Ghat Road on the way to the Tirumala temple from Tirupati.

But in March 2000, Panchayati Raj Minister A Madhav Reddy could not succeed to escape from the mine blast triggered by the People’s War. He died on the spot. At that time he was on the top list of the PW as he was prime opponents of naxalites and would always spokes against naxal violence.