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Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National President and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu penned a letter to Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police regarding the state-sponsored attacks on media houses, journalists and photographers ever since the ruling YSRCP came to power.
In his letter, the former CM wrote, "The ruling YSRCP-led government, in its attempt to suppress the dissenting voices, has brought in GO No. 2430 in October 2019. This was followed by murders, physical and verbal threats to journalists across the State of Andhra Pradesh. In the run-up to the general elections 2024, the YSRCP-led government appeared to have unleashed a series of attacks against media in general and journalists in particular. One such incident is the dastardly attack on Telaprolu Parameshwara Rao, a contributor working with 'News Today' on February 14, 2024, in Amaravati mandal, Palnadu district." N Chandrababu Naidu further mentioned that on February 18, 2024, Sri Krishna, a photographer of Andhrajyoti, a Telugu newspaper daily, was brutally attacked right under the nose of YS Jaganmohan Reddy during his political meeting in Raptadu, Anantapuram district. The TDP Chief added, "These are not isolated outbursts of the ruling YSRCP goons but are instigated by their leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy, where in a public meeting, he gestured folding his sleeves and called in his party cadre to fold sleeves. Such an act of folding sleeves meant that one is ready for a physical bout with their opponents. Further, YS Jaganmohan Reddy has been instigating his cadre by consistently and constantly blaming a section of the media for his pitfalls. It is also widely known as to how YS Jaganmohan had used police to foist false cases against heads of reputed and respected media houses in order to harass them and make them turn in his favour." Chandrababu Naidu said that it is unfortunate and inhuman that YS Jaganmohan Reddy did not condemn such an attack and did not care for the life of an innocent photographer who had come to do his job. "Therefore, I request you to nab the culprits and take immediate steps to punish them and the conspirators behind this heinous crime. Also, it is important to initiate action against YS Jaganmohan Reddy for making false statements in order to provoke hatred and enmity between groups and instigate violence. Only a prompt action at your end would ensure that freedom of press is safeguarded and democracy is protected in Andhra Pradesh," the former CM further added. (ANI)
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