Attack on ‘Sakshi’ offices an assault on democracy: Jagan Mohan Reddy

Amaravati, June 10 Former Andhra Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has condemned organised attacks on ‘Sakshi’ media offices across the state, calling it a deliberate and orchestrated assault on democracy.

Denouncing the arrest of senior journalist and ‘Sakshi TV’ anchor Kommineni Srinivasa Rao and attacks on ‘Sakshi’ offices, he said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is twisting and misrepresenting words that Kommineni never said, just to falsely implicate him and justify an unlawful arrest.

“As part of a pre-planned conspiracy, TDP-led mobs have vandalised Sakshi unit offices in several districts under the guise of protecting women's dignity. This is nothing but a political vendetta masked as concern for women,” Jagan said in a post on ‘X’.

Srinivasa Rao was arrested by the police on Monday, and he was sent to judicial custody by a court in Guntur on Tuesday for the alleged derogatory comments against women of the Amaravati region during a show moderated by him.

Telugu news television channel Sakshi and the Telugu newspaper by the same name are owned by Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family.

Referring to past controversial remarks by Chandrababu Naidu himself and his brother-in-law Balakrishna, Jagan questioned their moral standing.

“You once asked whether a daughter-in-law prefers her mother-in-law over her husband. Your brother-in-law even said that when you see a girl, you should either kiss her or make her pregnant. These are your standards when it comes to respecting women,” Jagan wrote.

The former CM accused Chandrababu of completely failing to provide safety and justice to women and girls since returning to power. He highlighted the tragic case of Tanmayi, an intermediate student from Anantapur who went missing and was later found brutally murdered, with no swift action taken by the authorities.

He also pointed to the horrifying case in Ramagiri mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district, where a 9th class girl was blackmailed and raped by 14 men for six months, yet police did not act on her complaint due to fear tactics and negligence.

“In just one year of TDP rule, 188 women and girls were raped, and 15 of them were murdered after the assault. Hundreds of cases of harassment and violence have gone unpunished,” Jagan said, calling it a complete breakdown of law and order.

He also said that the TDP regime has destroyed education, healthcare, agriculture, and public safety. "You gave fake promises like ‘Super Six’ and ‘Super Seven’ to win votes, but once in power, you betrayed every single promise. People now see you as a failed, corrupt, and incompetent Chief Minister."

Jagan concluded by saying that to escape accountability, Chandrababu is using fake news factories and media manipulation to spread lies and divert attention. “Your diversion politics won’t work forever, Chandrababu garu. People are watching, and they will hold you accountable.”

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