As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of sedition cases, says Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan.
“This is because the police have booked even those who raised their voice against the corrupt regime of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy under Section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to intimidate them,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said while addressing a public meeting organised as part of his Varahi Yatra, at Pedana in Krishna district on October 4 (Wednesday).
“Such is the atrocious rule of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who considers the State as his fiefdom,” the JSP chief said.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was in a commanding position in the Lok Sabha with 22 MPs, but Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy neither had the courage nor the interest to achieve what had been promised to the State at the time of bifurcation and oppose the move to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
“This is because he (the Chief Minister) is more concerned about how to wriggle out of the slew of corruption cases in which he is mired, with the tacit support of the Central government. As the YSRCP failed in protecting the State’s interests and is bent on incarcerating whoever spoke against it, the JSP has forged an alliance with the TDP,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said.
“Andhra Pradesh needs the experience of the TDP and the young blood and fighting spirit of the JSP. Therefore, I have decided to go with the TDP.”Pawan KalyanJSP president
“The State needs the experience of the TDP and the young blood and fighting spirit of the JSP. Therefore, I have decided to go with the TDP,” he said.
Mr. Palwan Kalyan said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was in fact “a calamity that struck the State, and he is of little use to the State that bore the brunt of bifurcation.”
None other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged it recently, by saying that the hasty manner in which bifurcation had been done troubled both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan further said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had no right to talk about the “class war” as his government diverted more than ₹300 crore due to be paid as wages to the workers under the MGNREGS.
Dig at Jogi Ramesh
The JSP chief alleged that the YSRCP was so vengeful that the JSP cadres who exposed the “illegal sand mining” in Pedana constituency (represented by Housing Minister Jogi Ramesh) were tied up to statues of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and thrashed for acting as whistle-blowers. He accused Mr. Ramesh of taking bribes from people approaching him for various works.
Referring to the notice issued by Krishna district Superintendent of Police seeking credible information about the threat of attacks flagged by him on Tuesday, Mr. Kalyan said it was the duty of the police to investigate, and advised the police officer not to act as the mouthpiece of the ruling party.
