Stone-pelting and arson were reported at the residence of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Jogi Ramesh in Ibrahimpatnam, Krishna district, on Sunday, following his alleged remarks about Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Minister N Lokesh. This marks the second attack on a YSRCP leader within a span of a few days.
According to officials, Ramesh’s wife and father were inside the house at the time of the incident but were safely rescued by the police. The attack comes shortly after another YSRCP leader, Ambati Rambabu, was targeted over his purported comments on the Tirupati laddu controversy. Rambabu’s remarks, allegedly seen as offensive to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, led to his arrest. His residence was also reportedly vandalised, triggering clashes between supporters of the two parties.
Condemning the incident, the YSRCP described the attack as “heinous and shameful”. Senior party leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy alleged that mobs stormed Ramesh’s house “like raging bulls” in an attempt to kill him, even after he had issued clarifications over his remarks.
Reddy questioned the government’s handling of the situation, claiming that attackers acted with impunity while police personnel remained passive. He further alleged that the ruling NDA alliance was deliberately fuelling tensions by installing flex banners across the state over the laddu controversy to politically target Kapu community leaders.
Meanwhile, YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said he had spoken to other party leaders who were recently attacked, asserting that the incidents reflect a breakdown of law and order in the state. He accused the ruling dispensation of misusing the police machinery to suppress dissent, calling the prevailing situation “jungle raj”.