Home minister slams Jagan, stresses TDP’s discipline

Vijayawada: Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday said there was no comparison between the governance of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and that of former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, asserting that people were closely watching recent developments in the state.

Speaking to the media during an informal interaction at the Secretariat, Anitha said the government had taken steps to ensure that party cadres exercised restraint and did not allow anger to spill over, keeping the state’s development as the top priority. She said leaders were briefed on facts and reminded of development goals to prevent them from falling into what she termed the “YSRCP trap.”

The home minister claimed that TDP cadres had been kept under control for the past 20 months, which helped maintain a positive atmosphere in the State. While acknowledging the frustration among party workers, she said Chief Minister Naidu had consistently counselled them against unlawful actions and guided them at the right time.

Recalling past incidents, Anitha alleged that Jagan had provoked attacks on the TDP office by giving obscene meaning to ‘bosadike’, and later justified the outrage among his supporters by citing their anger. She said that despite continued use of offensive language by YSRCP leaders, the TDP leadership was still advising restraint.

Accusing Jagan of promoting violence and vandalism to intimidate people, Anitha questioned whether he had ever reprimanded his leaders for abusive language or violent acts. She said people had understood the difference between what she described as “criminal thinking” and “visionary thinking.”

Warning of strict action, the home minister said any attempt by the YSRCP to create unrest in the state would be dealt with firmly under the law.

She cautioned that the police would adopt a tough approach against political rowdies, adding that such deterrent action would ensure that even the thought of wrongdoing instilled fear.