GUNTUR: The political rivalry between the TDP and the YSRC in the State has escalated into a war of words on social media, prompting a surge of police complaints from both sides. The TDP-led government, accused of cracking down on YSRC supporters, has faced counter-allegations of fostering online vitriol against YSRC leaders and their families.
Former minister Vidadala Rajini filed a complaint against derogatory posts targeting her, while YSRC Guntur district in-charge Ambati Rambabu lodged 10 complaints at the Pattabhipuram police station on Tuesday. Rambabu accused several TDP-linked social media accounts, including Sajja Ajay, Swathi Reddy, and Ajay Chowdary, of posting doctored images of YS Bharathi, wife of YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Other complaints addressed defamatory comments against Rambabu and his daughter.
Speaking to media persons, Rambabu alleged that Nara Lokesh and AP Assembly Speaker K Ayyanna Patrudu orchestrated a campaign of online abuse against YS Jagan, funded by TDP leaders. He criticised the police for ignoring complaints filed by YSRC leaders, including Rajini’s, while selectively acting under pressure from Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh.
Rambabu warned that the politicisation of law enforcement threatens the State’s criminal justice system, accusing the TDP of undermining police neutrality. He vowed that the YSRC would endure these challenges and strengthen its resolve against what he termed the TDP’s “tyrant rule.”
The escalating cyber conflict reflects the broader tensions between the ruling coalition and the opposition, further polarising the political landscape in Andhra Pradesh.