The Hindu : Front Page : New cars for Telugu Desam president

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Saturday, Nov 10, 2007
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New cars for Telugu Desam president

N. Rahul

— A file PHOTO

Security issue: A convoy of bullet proof cars given to Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, which will soon be replaced by a new fleet.

HYDERABAD: The State Government will replace the cars in the convoy of Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, a Z plus protectee, with new ones following the recent breakdown of one of his vehicles on the road.

A top police official told The Hindu that the government had decided to buy a fleet of new cars for Mr. Naidu. Instructions for the same had already been passed to the department concerned.

A car fitted with the jammer, positioned at the rear of Mr. Naidu’s convoy of six white Ambassadors, was stranded on the road opposite the Assembly while he was on his way to attend to business of the House on Wednesday. Police officials explained that the breakdown was on account of a loose contact of the plug with the battery.

It was immediately attended to and the car restored to Mr. Naidu’s convoy.

The Government’s decision to replace Mr. Naidu’s cars follows several representations by the TDP ever since he demitted office as Chief Minister.

Two years ago, the TDP alleged that the Congress Government had scaled down his security and lately criticised it for not giving any reason for the failure to purchase new vehicles for Mr. Naidu while replacing Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s fleet of Tata Safaris with Scorpios. On the other hand, government officials maintain that Mr. Naidu was provided with the latest 2004 model of Ambassadors which were kept at the disposal of important protectees as President and Prime Minister.

They included two bullet proof vehicles, one of which was used for his travel and the other kept in spare.

Threat from Maoists

The breakdown of Mr. Naidu’s car raised a fresh dust over his security concerns as he faces a threat from Maoists who made an abortive attack on him at Alipiri in October 2003.

But Mr. Naidu himself said that he left the issue to the government.

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