YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday said his party would explore all possible avenues, including moving the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to expose the alleged lawlessness in the state and violence being perpetrated against political opponents of the ruling Telugu Desam Party-led coalition.
Speaking to reporters after calling on Jogi Ramesh and his family at his residence in Ibrahimpatnam, which witnessed vandalism and arson allegedly by the TDP cadre last Sunday, Jagan said the ruling coalition was systematically targeting YSRCP leaders who were exposing the misrule of the Chandrababu Naidu government.
“The template of arson and attacks on the YSRCP leaders has been the same, whether it was against Ambati Rambabu, Jogi Ramesh, or Vidadala Rajini. The TDP mobs worked in tandem with the police and carried out these attacks,” he claimed.
Jagan alleged that petrol bombs and acid bottles were hurled into the house of Jogi Ramesh when his aged father was alone at home. “When our party tried to expose the lies of Chandrababu Naidu, the law of jungle raj prevailed in the form of attacks on the houses of YSRCP leaders,” he said.
The YSRCP president said his party would launch a massive campaign on all available forums against the unabated attacks on YSRCP leaders who exposed the lies of the government.
{{/usCountry}}The YSRCP president said his party would launch a massive campaign on all available forums against the unabated attacks on YSRCP leaders who exposed the lies of the government.
{{/usCountry}}“The Naidu government has filed 24 cases against Jogi Ramesh, including the spurious liquor case in which the losing TDP candidate was involved, and jailed him. When his son became active in politics, the police filed seven cases against him, and even a case was filed against Ramesh’s wife, which speaks volumes about the jungle raj prevailing in the state,” Jagan said.
He added that the attacks on the YSRCP leaders were carried out only because they had undertaken pujas at temples, seeking God’s blessings so that good sense would prevail upon Naidu. “They were only protesting against the huge posters and cutouts put up by the TDP to demean political adversaries on the Tirupati ghee adulteration issue,” he said.
Reacting to the YSRCP chief’s comments, TDP parliamentarian K Appala Naidu said Jagan was conducting politically motivated tours that inconvenience the public and create an atmosphere of fear.
He alleged that Jagan’s visits to party leaders’ residences and his public engagements were undermining the state government’s efforts to ensure stability and development. “The tone and tenor of his speeches appear to be provocative. He should moderate his rhetoric and behave responsibly,” the MP said.