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Social media posts against Jagan Reddy govt gets 2 TDP activists arrested

Hindustan Times, Hyderabad | BySrinivasa Rao Apparasu | Edited by Ashutosh Tripathi
Jun 23, 2020 06:10 PM IST

TDP president Chandrababu Naidu condemned the arrest of the party activists for questioning the policies of the Jagan government. He pointed out that the posts had no personal attacks against anyone in the government or the ruling party.

The Andhra Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested two Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists for allegedly posting objectionable comments against the ruling YSR Congress Party leaders and the state government led by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on social media.

In the early hours of this morning, a team from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) came knocking at the residence of Nalanda Kishore, 70, in Visakhapatnam and whisked him away.

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“He requested the police to allow him to come to the CID office later in the day, as he was not feeling well. But the police did not listen to him and took him to the CID regional office headquarters in the town for interrogation,” one of his family members told the reporters.

Kishore, who happens to be a follower of former minister and TDP lawmaker from Viskahapatnam (North) Srinivasa Rao Ganta, was charged for posting some objectionable comments against YSRC parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy and state tourism minister Muthamsetty Srinivasa Rao on social media.

Getting to know about the arrest, Ganta rushed to the CID office, but he was not allowed to enter the premises.

“What major crime has Kishore committed to have been arrested at such odd-hours? Has he resorted to any robbery or leakage of defence secrets or any other anti-national activity? He has just shared a few messages that he had received on social media. This is not good for democracy,” he said.

In a similar incident, the CID arrested Chirumamilla Krishna, 35 of Nandigama in Krishna district on the same charges of posting objectionable comments against the Jagan government. Both the accused would be produced in the court in Mangalagiri after questioning.

TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu strongly condemned the arrest of the TDP activists for questioning the policies of the Jagan government. He pointed out that the posts made by Kishore and Krishna had no personal attacks against anyone in the government or the ruling party.

“In the last few days, the YSRCP leaders have circulated several posts on social media, running down the women leaders of the TDP, including MLA Adireddy Bhavani and spokesperson Panchumarthi Anuradha. Why haven’t the CID taken any action against them?” the TDP chief questioned.

Last month, too, the CID arrested P Ranganayaki, a 60-year-old woman, for allegedly posting a comment against the Jagan government in connection with leakage of toxic Styrene gas from the LG Polymers plant at Visakhapatnam. She was released on bail. Similarly, the police served notice on another TDP activist Anusha Undavalli for passing comments of the YSRCP.

Last week, the Jagan government served legal notices on Chandrababu Naidu and two Telugu dailies, Eenadu and Andhra Jyothi, for publishing his statements alleging irregularities in restoration of mining leases to Saraswati Power in Dachepalli in Guntur district and in granting contract to a company for production of bags for door-to-door supply of rice to the consumers.

The government threatened to launch criminal prosecution against them, if they don’t tender a public apology to the government.

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