Amaravati, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, using the police as a political tool to suppress dissent, restrict freedom of expression, and target political opponents.
Although Article 19 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression – “one of the most sacred and non-negotiable pillars of democracy” – the opposition leader claimed that this fundamental right is under serious, systematic and deeply disturbing assault under the LDP-led coalition government.
However, there was no immediate reaction from TDP.
“Hello India! CM N Chandrababu Naidu is using the police department as a political tool to curb dissent, suppress opposition voices and systematically limit freedom of expression in Andhra Pradesh,” Reddy claimed in a post on X late Friday.
According to Reddy, the Andhra Police Service is increasingly being “weaponized as a political tool to intimidate critics, silence dissenting voices, and create an atmosphere of fear among citizens who question the government.”
He alleged that a systematic campaign of political vendetta, authoritarian intimidation and institutionalized “misuse of power” has been unleashed against social media activists, YSRCP supporters, journalists and ordinary citizens who dared to expose the “failures, hypocrisy, corruption and anti-people governance” of the TDP alliance.
Reddy claimed that the modus operandi has become “frighteningly clear and predictable”, starting with TDP leaders and their supporters “consistently filing politically motivated complaints” against social media posts, videos, comments and opinions questioning the TDP government or criticizing its leaders.
“By acting almost immediately on these complaints, the police department is quick to register cases, invoke exaggerated and questionable legal rulings, file false and fabricated FIRs, and start forcefully harassing dissenting voices,” he said.
The “abuse of power” does not stop there, the YSRCP chief said, alleging that the police department itself was sending notices to social media platform
“This coordinated censorship campaign clearly shows how the Naidu government is using the police department as a political enforcement mechanism to control public discourse, crush dissent and suppress democratic expression,” Reddy claimed.
Noting that such alleged coercive steps expose the government’s “insecure, intolerant, vindictive and deeply authoritarian mentality”, the opposition leader observed that the NDA coalition government appears “terrified of criticism, accountability, transparency and public scrutiny”.
However, he alleged that the TDP’s propaganda ecosystem is constantly spreading “toxic misinformation, character assassination campaigns, abusive trolling, hate-driven narratives, and malicious attacks” against YSRCP leaders and political opponents on a daily basis.
He added that complaints against them are “easily ignored.”
“No action, no FIRs, no accountability. This shocking double standard and blatant misuse of state machinery represents a grave attack on democratic values, constitutional freedoms, civil liberties and the spirit of democracy itself,” he claimed.
Reddy stressed that democracy cannot survive in an atmosphere where fear replaces freedom, intimidation replaces accountability, police institutions become political weapons, and criticism is criminalized.
“We strongly condemn these cruel, repressive, politically motivated and anti-democratic measures and demand that the Andhra Pradesh government immediately stop abusing police power, targeting opposition voices, manipulating social media regulation and stifling democratic dissent,” Reddy added.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
