YSRC chief Reddy injured in knife attack at airport, assailant

YSR Congress chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was Thursday injured in a knife attack by a chef employed at a restaurant allegedly owned by a ruling TDP leader at the Visakhapatnam airport, police said.

Reddy, the Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh assembly, escaped with a "deep" cut on his left shoulder.

J Srinivasa Rao (30), the assailant, approached Reddy when he was leaving the VIP lounge to board a flight to Hyderabad and requested for a 'selfie'.

As an unsuspecting Reddy posed for the picture, the man pulled out a small knife generally used in cockfights and plunged it into his left shoulder.

Rao was overpowered by the CISF personnel guarding the airport and handed over to the state police which is now questioning him.

"To everyone worried about my safety, Id like to inform you that I am safe. Gods grace and the love, concern and blessings of the people of Andhra Pradesh will protect me.

"Such cowardice acts will not dissuade me but only strengthen my resolve to work for the people of my state," Reddy tweeted upon his arrival in Hyderabad.

The opposition leader checked into a private hospital in Hyderabad where doctors examined him.

"The wounds are deep as per the first report," the YSRC said in a statement, and claimed the cafeteria at the Visakhapatnam airport was owned by ruling Telugu Desam Party leader Harshavardhan, who was aspiring to contest the next assembly election from the district.

The state's DGP R P Thakur, however, maintained the attack was made apparently for the sake of publicity.

The TDP, which the YSRC alleged was behind the "attempt to murder" Jagan, dubbed the assault as an "act of cowardice", while other opposition parties, including the Congress, Jana Sena and the BJP condemned it.

Thakur said the attacker, an college dropout from East Godavari district, was working as a chef at Fusion Restaurant at the airport for the last one year.

"A 9-10 page letter has been recovered from his pocket and the CISF handed it over to us. We are verifying who wrote the letter and what it contained," the DGP said, adding "apparently the attack was for the sake of some publicity".

"Preliminary information is that the attacker is claiming to be a Jagan fan. We will definitely unearth the reason behind the attack, Thakur told reporters in Amaravati.

Thakur later said in a press release that a special investigation team (SIT) headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police has been constituted to probe the case.

"What is the hurry for the DGP to come out with such ludicrous statement?" the YSRC's statement said, retorting sharply to the DGP's claim that the attacker was a Reddy fan and that the assault stemmed from his desire for publicity.

Political parties, including the TDP, denounced the incident.

"Such cowardly attacks have no place in the modern society," tweeted Nara Lokesh, Information Technology Minister and son of Chief Minister and party chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa said people's representatives should exercise caution while taking selfies with members of the public.

"People also come to me for selfies. I should be careful, as also my security personnel," Rajappa said, adding any attack on people's representatives will not be tolerated.

Rajappa also claimed the assailant hailed Reddy before the attack and said the YSRC will win 160 seats in the next assembly elections.

"Who is he? Which party be belongs to and who instigated him? These are being investigated thoroughly," he added.

The state's Social Welfare Minister N Anand Babu rejected the YSRC's allegation that the TDP was behind the attack.

"It's not Chandrababu's nature to get people attacked. In fact, the YSRC itself has a criminal nature," he said, hitting back at the main opposition party.

AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy, state Congress president N Raghuveera Reddy, actor and Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan and BJP MP G V L Narasimha Rao condemned the incident.

"The attempt to murder Jagan is inhuman. Such incidents should not happen in a democracy," Kalyan said in a statement.

YSRC workers and supporters staged protests in several parts of the state over the assault on their leader.