Jagan accuses Andhra CM of 'misusing' police, 'undermining' democracy during local body bypolls

YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of "undermining" democratic values and "misusing" the police force during the recent rural local body bypolls.

Reddy visited Ramagiri mandal in the Sri Sathya Sai district to meet and console the family of Lingamayya, who was allegedly killed amid poll-related tensions.

He blamed the TDP for issuing threats, using coercion, and "manipulating the police despite lacking majority support."

"Lingamayya was killed by 20 people, but only two were booked, while three TDP members were made witnesses just to weaken and dilute the case," Reddy told reporters.

The former CM alleged that similar misuse of force occurred in Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Ramakuppam, and Attili, accusing Naidu of grabbing power through threats, police pressure, and blatant political interference.

YSRCP leaders, such as P Krishna Murali, V Vamsi Mohan, and N Suresh, are allegedly facing false cases, harassment, and arrests orchestrated by the ruling alliance, Reddy added.

He warned the police not to act as "watchmen" for the TDP, stating that the public was watching and would soon teach the NDA coalition government a lesson.

Meanwhile, the YSRCP alleged that Reddy faced "major security lapses" during his visit to Ramagiri, citing inadequate police presence at the helipad, according to a press release.

An uncontrollable crowd allegedly damaged the helicopter’s windshield, prompting the pilot to cancel the flight due to serious safety concerns.

As a result, Reddy travelled to Bengaluru by road.

The YSRCP condemned the state government’s alleged negligence, claiming that similar lapses occurred during Reddy’s visit to Guntur on February 19, when no police personnel were deployed despite prior intimation.

Reddy also charged the Naidu-led government with "spreading false propaganda" about the state's economy, ignoring the need for corrective measures to strengthen Andhra Pradesh's fiscal health.

According to Reddy, the TDP-led government has focused solely on exaggerating the state's economic performance.

His remarks came after Naidu announced that Andhra Pradesh had registered the second-highest growth rate, 8.21 per cent, in the country for the fiscal year 2024 25, citing Government of India statistics.

However, Reddy countered that the state recorded an "abysmally low" year-on-year growth of just 2.1 per cent in its tax revenues up to February 2025.

"Tax revenues reflect the buoyancy of an economy and should roughly match economic growth. However, non-tax revenues declined 33.3 per cent year-on-year during the first 11 months of FY 2024 25, while capital expenditure dropped by 42.78 per cent," he said.

Moreover, the YSRCP supremo urged the NDA government to do away with these "overestimations" in the larger interest of the integrity and reputation of the state government.