VIJAYAWADA: Launching a broadside against the ruling NDA alliance, YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday declared that the “Rule of Law has given way to the Rule of Fear” in Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Jagan alleged a collapse of institutional integrity and demanded clarity from the TDP on key social and economic issues. “The law and order situation is at its worst,” he said, citing the custodial death of Gade Sai Krishna in Vijayawada.
“The issue was kept under wraps and came to light only after my visit to his house to console his family. Why are top officials not booked in this serious custodial death case, and why has the CCTV footage disappeared from the three-tier storage points (police station, command control, and DGP office)? This clearly shows how the bigwigs are trying to water down the case,” he asserted.
Jagan charged that a systematic cover-up is underway. “There is every effort to save the top people, and the remand report has been revealing astounding details. The loss of CCTV footage and no call data collection shows how the case is being covered up and the government has no remorse. Similarly, police are watering down the suicide of Dalit youth Kranthi Kumar, who has given a dying declaration in a video that went viral.”
Coining a new slogan—“Hey Ram, Save Andhra”—Jagan accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of weaponising the state apparatus. “Chandrababu has weaponised the police to settle political scores, setting a new trend of making victims into accused,” he said, citing a recent altercation at Undavalli.
“Our party team was attacked by TDP cadres. While we were the victims, cases were registered against us. Anyone questioning the government is being harassed by foisting false cases.
It is a Jungle Raj out there, but we will fight it out.”
Turning to social policy, Jagan demanded transparency on the state’s representation before the Justice Balakrishnan Commission. “People in TDP are trying to whip up caste and religious passions, he alleged.