YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. File photo
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has strongly condemned the arrest of senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao and the “organised attacks on Sakshi media” offices across the State, calling it a deliberate and orchestrated assault on democracy.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday (June 10, 2025), Mr. Jagan said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is twisting and misrepresenting words that Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, had never said, just to falsely implicate him and justify an unlawful arrest. As part of a pre-planned conspiracy, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led mobs have vandalised Sakshi unit offices in several districts under the guise of protecting women’s dignity. “This is nothing but political vendetta masked as concern for women,” he stated.

Referring to Mr. Naidu’s and his brother-in-law (Hindupur MLA and cine actor Nandamuri Balakrishna’s past alleged controversial remarks, Mr. Jagan questioned their moral standing.

Mr. Jagan accused the Chief Minister  of completely failing to provide safety and justice to women and girls since returning to power. He highlighted the tragic case of an intermediate student from Anantapur who went missing and was later found brutally murdered, with no swift action taken by authorities. He also pointed to the horrifying case in Ramagiri mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district, where a 9th class girl was blackmailed and raped by 14 men for six months, yet police did not act on her complaint due to negligence.

Jagan questions law and order

“In just one year of TDP rule, 188 women and girls were raped, and 15 of them were murdered after the assault. Hundreds of cases of harassment and violence have gone unpunished,” Mr. Jagan said, calling it a complete breakdown of law and order.

He also said that the TDP regime has destroyed education, healthcare, agriculture, and public safety. “You gave fake promises like ‘Super Six’ and ‘Super Seven’ to win votes, but once in power, you betrayed every single promise. People now see you as a failed, corrupt, and incompetent Chief Minister.”

Mr. Jagan said to escape accountability, Mr. Chandrababu is using fake news factories and media manipulation to spread lies and divert attention. “Naidu’s diversion politics won’t work forever. People are watching, and they will hold you (Naidu) accountable.”