Vijayawada: AICC in-charge for Andhra Pradesh Manickam Tagore on Wednesday hit back at YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy over his allegation that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was in touch with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu through a “hotline.”
Tagore said people of Andhra Pradesh knew that Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jagan and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan were working together. He asserted that unlike Jagan, Rahul Gandhi had not “surrendered” to Modi and Shah, and challenged the YSRCP chief to join Congress’s fight against ‘vote chori’.
In a video message, Tagore countered that Rahul Gandhi was fighting for democracy, not just Congress, and accused Jagan of fabricating “imaginary stories” instead of acknowledging Gandhi’s efforts. He claimed Amit Shah had manipulated results in 39–48 constituencies and pointed to Rahul Gandhi’s upcoming yatra in Bihar to defend voting rights. Tagore urged Jagan to join the state Congress rally in Vijayawada on August 14, led by Y S Sharmila.
Meanwhile, minister and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh dismissed Jagan’s remarks, saying the TDP’s “only hotline” was with the people. He accused Jagan of losing power due to “note chori” and corruption, vowing that under Modi and Naidu’s leadership, Andhra Pradesh would become the country’s top-performing state again.
