Jagan slams Andhra CM over attacks on YSRCP leaders' houses

YSRCP supremo and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday accused Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu of fostering violence and anarchy, asserting that attacks on opposition leaders would not silence dissent in a democracy. A senior TDP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to comment on the issue. Andhra Pradesh Police on Saturday arrested senior YSRCP leader and former minister Ambati Rambabu in Guntur district following his alleged derogatory remarks against the chief minister. The arrest was followed by high drama on Guntur roads and at Rambabu's residence. During the unrest, dozens of TDP leaders and cadres were seen ransacking the opposition leader's house and vehicles, according to footage aired on vernacular news channels. Similar, on Sunday, the house of former minister Jogi Ramesh was allegedly vandalised and set on fire in Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district. Reddy, referring to the arson attacks on the houses of YSRCP leaders Ambati Rambabu and Jogi Ramesh, described them as an attempt to create fear through violence. ''By fostering violence and anarchy, you (Naidu) may attack opposition leaders, but you will not be able to silence dissent in a democracy,'' said Reddy in a post on X. He alleged that the attacks symbolised anarchy, barbaric governance and ''jungle raj,'' and warned that the consequences of such actions would ultimately rebound on the NDA coalition's dispensation. The YSRCP chief said that public anger against attacks on democratic institutions would intensify and asserted that violence could never suppress opposition voices. Reddy further said history shows that regimes which provoke violence inevitably face their own downfall, adding that the ''jungle raj'' he alleged would not endure.