Andhra Pradesh police on Monday filed a case against senior YSR Congress Party leader and former minister Yogi Ramesh for making derogatory remarks against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his son, state IT minister Nara Lokesh, people familiar with the matter said.
Case filed for abusing YSRCP leader, TDP cadre for burning his houseBased on a complaint by the ruling Telugu Desam Party, the Ibrahimpatnam police in NTR district registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including Section 196 (inciting enmity between groups) and Section 352 (intentional insult to disturb the peace) etc.
The development came a day after several TDP workers stormed Yogi Ramesh’s house in Ibrahimpatnam, ransacking the premises and setting furniture on fire, protesting his comments against Naidu and Lokesh.
Police registered FIR against 11 TDP leaders and their associates at Ibrahimpatnam police station under Sections 189(2), 190, 292 and 324(4) of BNS.
TDP workers barged into Ramesh’s house, pulled down banners and vandalized the premises. The YSRCP leader was not present at home at the time of the attack and returned late at night.
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Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ramesh alleged that the attack was led by Vijayawada MP Kesineni Chinni on the orders of Lokesh. “TDP cadres, acting in the presence and support of the police, attacked my house with petrol bombs as part of a conspiracy to physically finish me and my family,” he said.
On Saturday night, another former minister and senior YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu’s house in Guntur was attacked by TDP workers in protest against Rambabu’s alleged derogatory remarks against the chief minister. In this incident as well, the attackers vandalized Rambabu’s residence and office, vandalized his car and set the house on fire.
Hours before the attack, Rambabu was arrested by police for allegedly hurling obscenities at Naidu during a protest over the controversial Tirumala ghee adulteration issue. Guntur police produced Rambabu before a magistrate on Sunday night and sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. He was later shifted to Rajahmundry Central Jail.
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Attacks on former ministers have sparked political tension. Alleging a complete breakdown of law and order, the YSRCP demanded the imposition of President’s Rule.
YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the TDP leadership was under the delusion that by setting fire to the houses of Ambati Rambabu and Yogi Ramesh, it would instill fear among YSRCP cadres.
“It is a symbol of anarchy, barbaric rule and jungle kingship. But the fire you lit against democracy, Chandrababu Naidu, will inevitably burn your government. In the days to come, the raging flames of public anger against you will burn your government completely, reducing it to ashes,” he added.
The chief minister hit back at the YSRCP and said their frustration was due to the government’s inability to accept the government’s success in bringing the crisis-hit state back on track.
He said in a post on X that the government will uphold law and order no matter what attempts to disrupt peace and that criminal politics is the YSRCP’s ideology, which is evident from the “illegitimate rule” witnessed in 2019-24.
He alleged that the criminalization of politics was the core culture of the YSRCP, and that lawlessness was a feature of his tenure. He said that maintaining law and order is paramount and any violation will not be tolerated under any circumstances irrespective of political affiliation.
The chief minister urged TDP workers to exercise restraint and not fall into what he described as the “trap” of the YSRCP. He asserted that those found guilty of wrongdoing would be severely punished under the law, but warned that party workers should not take the law into their own hands.
