YSRCP chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of using the police machinery as a political tool to suppress dissent, curb freedom of speech and target political opponents in Andhra Pradesh.
Responding to the allegations on Saturday, TDP national spokesperson Deepak Reddy alleged that it was Jagan himself who had used the police system to target opponents and silence critics during the YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024.
Invoking Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression and which he described as “one of the most sacred and non-negotiable pillars of democracy,” Jagan alleged that the TDP-led coalition government was carrying out a “dangerous, systematic, and deeply disturbing assault” on this fundamental right.
“Hello India! AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been using the police department as a political tool to curb dissent, suppress opposition voices, and systematically curtail freedom of speech in Andhra Pradesh,” Jagan said in a post on X late Friday night.
According to Jagan, the Andhra Pradesh police machinery was increasingly being “weaponised” to intimidate critics, silence opposition voices and create an atmosphere of fear among citizens questioning the government.
He further alleged that the coalition government was pursuing a systematic campaign of political vendetta, authoritarian intimidation and institutional “misuse of power” against social media activists, YSRCP supporters, journalists and ordinary citizens exposing what he termed the “failures, hypocrisy, corruption, and anti-people governance” of the TDP alliance.
Jagan claimed the alleged modus operandi had become “frighteningly clear and predictable,” with TDP leaders and supporters “continuously filing politically motivated complaints” over social media posts, videos, comments and opinions critical of the government.
Acting on such complaints, he alleged, the police were registering cases, invoking questionable legal provisions, filing FIRs and initiating coercive action against dissenting voices.
The alleged “misuse of power,” Jagan said, also extended to police issuing notices to X and other social media platforms seeking the removal or blocking of content critical of the government.
“This coordinated censorship campaign clearly demonstrates how the Naidu government is using the police department as its political enforcement machinery,” he alleged.
Jagan further alleged that the government appeared “insecure, intolerant, vindictive, and deeply authoritarian,” and was “terrified of criticism, accountability, transparency, and public scrutiny.”
He also accused the ruling alliance’s ecosystem of spreading “toxic misinformation, character assassination campaigns, abusive trolling, hate-driven narratives, and malicious attacks” against YSRCP leaders, while complaints against such activities were “conveniently ignored.”
“No action, no FIRs, no accountability. This shocking double standard and misuse of state machinery represent a grave attack on democratic values,” he alleged.
Asserting that democracy cannot survive in an atmosphere where fear replaces freedom and criticism is criminalised, Jagan demanded that the government stop abusing police powers and targeting opposition voices.
Countering the allegations, Deepak Reddy said Jagan’s remarks on democracy, freedom of expression and misuse of police machinery ignored what he described as the reality of the YSRCP government’s functioning during its five-year tenure.
“People of Andhra Pradesh have not forgotten what happened during his five-year rule,” he said.
Deepak Reddy alleged that filing cases against opposition leaders, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens was a common practice during the YSRCP regime.
He further claimed that TDP leaders and workers frequently faced politically motivated cases, arrests, detentions and restrictions on protests under the previous government.
According to him, even social media posts and comments critical of the YSRCP government often led to police action, including CID cases and arrests.
He also alleged that several youth, women, YouTubers and independent voices faced harassment for questioning government policies.
Deepak Reddy further claimed that social media accounts linked to the YSRCP targeted opposition leaders with abusive content and misinformation between 2019 and 2024.
Despite repeated complaints from TDP leaders, police action was either delayed or absent, he alleged, adding that it reflected selective enforcement of the law.
(With inputs from PTI)
