VIJAYAWADA: YSRCP President and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu of deliberately provoking people against his visit to Podili in Prakasam district.
“I visited Podili in Prakasam Dist. to meet distressed Tobacco farmers and offer them support, as they have been denied fair prices. Over 40,000 farmers and locals joined me in solidarity. To divert attention from the issue at hand, Chandrababu Naidu connived to send about 40 TDP workers to disrupt the meeting and provoke violence by pelting stones along our route. Thankfully, the farmers and public showed great restraint and did not retaliate against the acute assaults by TDP goons,” Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote on the social media platform ‘X’.
Questioning the coalition government’s priorities, Jagan demanded to know who would be responsible if the large crowd had reacted to the provocation.
Instead of addressing the farmers’ woes, he alleged that Naidu’s administration filed false cases against them, branding them as rowdies.
“While farmers are in distress and committing suicides, you are brazenly calling for one year celebrations of your ruinous rule, like Nero was fiddling while Rome was burning down to ashes. Besides, you created a violent situation that could have been devastating given the huge number of people that were present. I condemn these despicable acts in the strictest manner and urge you to help the farmers,” Jagan posted.