The recent attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is alarming for more than one reason. Firstly, the sheer audacity of the miscreant in striking at him in the middle of a massive road show in Vijayawada exposed serious flaws in security. It is fortunate that the chief minister escaped with a minor injury above his eyebrow. The police have since arrested an accused.
This is not the first time that Jagan has come under attack. In 2019, he was stabbed with a knife at the Visakhapatnam airport and that case has been hanging fire till date. The latest breach aside, one needs to look at the state’s political environment to understand why we are going back to the days when violence was a given during elections. With the assembly election due on May 13, it’s a high-stakes war between the ruling YSRC and the opposition alliance of TDP, Jana Sena and BJP. The campaign, naturally, is as hot as the searing weather.
Even so, none can condone the rhetoric coming from leaders of all hues, particularly, the opposition. The violent language being used by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and his ally, actor Pawan Kalyan of Jana Sena, is unacceptable. Sample these choicest of epithets from Naidu: “Psycho, eccentric, demon... you take stones or whatever and defeat that buffalo!” Incidentally, the attack occurred on the day he used such inflammatory language. Demonising a leader does not serve any purpose except inflaming the followers’ passions on either side. Soon after the attack on Jagan, stones were allegedly pelted at Naidu’s rally too. He was not hurt, but it clearly shows we are on a slippery slope.
It is obvious that the perpetrator’s intention was to hurt Jagan badly, if not kill. What could have been his motivation? Reports are surfacing that the accused might in some way have been motivated by someone close to the opposition. This is not yet proven and the law needs to take its course. At least now, leaders ought to debate policies instead of instigating cadres. Unfortunately, Naidu and his ally are mocking Jagan over the attack, which will only help worsen the situation. The Election Commission should take a serious view of the worsening rhetoric. Freedom of speech does not mean giving calls for violence.