Strongly condemning ‘consistent attacks’ on the media, TDP president, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, demanded stringent action against those involved in such attacks.
Chandrababu Naidu also demanded action against Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, for making false statements to provoke hatred and enmity among groups only with the sole aim of instigating violence. “Ever since the YSRCP came to power there have been consistent State-sponsored attacks on the freedom of the Press, on media houses, journalists and photographers,” Chandrababu Naidu said.
He felt that the Go no. 2430 issued in October 2019 is aimed at suppressing the voice which resulted in murders, physical and verbal attacks on journalists across the State. In the run up to the 2024 election, the YSRCP appears to have unleashed a series of attacks on the media in general and journalists in particular, he added.
Recalling the recent attack on a contributor in Amaravathi mandal of Palnadu district on February 14, Chandrababu Naidu said that the crime that the scribe committed was that he exposed the sand mafia involving the YSRCP leaders. Again, within four days, on February 18 a photographer of a popular Telugu daily (Andhra Joythy), was brutally attacked right under the nose of Jagan Mohan Reddy during his political meeting at Rapthadu in Anantapur district, he said adding that regrettably the police remained as mute spectators in both the incidents.
Within two of these incidents having taken place, on Monday, February 20, the YSRCP mob attacked the office of again the most popular Telugu daily (Eenadu), in Kurnool, Chandrababu Naidu mentioned in the letter. A mob led by Panyam MLA and YSRCP leader, K Rambhupal Reddy, pelted the office of the daily with stones and created a situation of fear for almost an hour, he added. On the same day, a reporter of another popular daily (Andhra Jyothy) was physically attacked at Maddikera in Kurnool district when he was on duty covering the YSRCP political meeting, Mr Chandrababu pointed out.
Chandrababu Naidu believes that all these attacks are State sponsored against the freedom of the Press and media and they are not isolated incidents resorted to by the ‘YSRCP goons’ but are instigated by their leader, Jagan Mohan Reddy. Jagan, at a public meeting gestured folding his sleeves and asked his party cadre too to do the same, he said and stated that such acts meant that one is ready for physical bout on their opponents.
This apart, Jagan has been consistently blaming a section of media for his pitfalls and it is already a known fact that Jagan has used the police force to foist false cases against the heads of reputed and respected media houses only to harass them so that they will surrender to him, Chandrababu Naidu stated. It is really unfortunate that Jagan till now did not condemn these attacks and did not care for the life of an innocent photographer who was performing his duty, he noted.
Shamelessly, a former minister justified these attacks and has the audacity to state that the heads of these respected media houses would have been killed had they been in these meetings, the TDP supremo regretted. Strongly condemning what he called the failure of the respective district police to prevent such attacks from taking place and their failure to initiate immediate action against the persons involved in these attacks, Chandrababu Naidu made an appeal to the DGP to nab the culprits immediately and take urgent steps to initiate action against them besides against the conspirators involved behind this heinous crime.
“Also, it is important to initiate action against Jagan Mohan Reddy for making false statements to provoke hatred and enmity among groups to instigate violence,” Chandrababu Naidu said and felt that only a prompt action would ensure that freedom of Press is safeguarded and democratic norms are upheld in the State.
