After the YSRCP came to power and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took over as the Chief Minister, murders and attacks in the state have increased. The series of atrocities aimed at those who question and criticize them and their rule has intensified in recent times. It is no exaggeration to say that the situation has become worse during Panchayat elections. It must be said that the Jagan government is not hesitating to eliminate the leaders of the opposition parties. An example of this is the suicide of a TDP Sarpanch candidate’s husband in East Godavari district. In this case, which was registered as a suspicious death, the police claim that it was not a suicide and that the YSRCP group was involved in the murder. As a continuation of this, two major incidents took place in the state on Tuesday. One was the attack on TDP national general secretary Kommareddy Pattabhi Ramaiah in Vijayawada and the other was the arrest and remand of TDP state president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu.
The government was adamant on not taking up Panchayat elections until Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar is the State Election Commissioner. The YSRCP has not changed its stance despite repeated reprimands by courts. As part of claiming a majority of Panchayats, it has resorted to intimidation in areas where elections were being held, especially against those who are supported by the TDP. The TDP supporters have received threats in many places. There were attacks on those who stood daringly against the threats. As part of this, in Jaggampet Mandal in East Godavari district they threatened Gollalagunta TDP Sarpanch’s husband Sabbela Srinivas Reddy and asked him not to file the nominations. With the Sarpanch refusing to accept, he was kidnapped and was taken to a forest where he was tortured by tying his legs. Somehow, he could come out and the next day he was seen hanging from a tree. The incident created ripples in the state. The threats and attacks of YSRCP leaders in other districts are not coming to light at all.
Meanwhile, the YSRCP has strategically targeted Atchannaidu, by making his close relative Appanna as a sarpanch candidate in his own village Nimmada Panchayat in Srikakulam district. Atchannaidu was arrested on the pretext of threatening his brother. The police went with a clear plan to arrest Atchannaidu, produced before a magistrate and got him remanded for 14 days without giving him any chance. Realising that there was a possibility of a large-scale counter-attack, they physically attacked Pattabhi in Vijayawada. More than 10 unidentified assailants attacked Pattabhi with sticks as he drove from home to office in a car. The assailants attacked Kommareddy’s car, smashed the car windows and tried to kill him. However, the driver of the car acted swiftly and moved the car forward and Kommareddy was able to escape. Kommareddy sustained serious injuries on his legs and arms in the attack. Shocked by the incident, TDP cadres attempted to stage a large-scale protest in the city. The YCP government, which did not tolerate these protests, deployed police forces everywhere.
This is not the first attack on Kommareddy. In the past, miscreants who tried to attack his house destroyed a car parked outside the house. Although Kommareddy had complained about the attack, the police, who had booked the case, have not been able to nab the culprits till now. Judging by the way in which Pattabhi was attacked, it is clear that Jagan does not tolerate those who speak against him. TDP Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who was outraged at the assassination attempt on Kommareddy, said, “Will you kill for questioning? I am also constantly questioning the YSRCP, Kill me too.” It may be mentioned here that Chandrababu never responded in this manner. There is also a strong argument that the series of attacks on Kommareddy was because of his tirade against the YSRCP government on various anti-people policies with facts in his own style. On a whole, the analysts say that the series of attacks on Kommareddy, the series of arrests of Atchannaidu, the threats in the Panchayat elections, the atrocities, and the threats against those who don’t listen… is going on in Jagan’s regime.
