The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) continues to resort to diversionary tactics, sensationalism, and smear campaigns instead of focusing on governance and public welfare, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) said in a statement here on Sunday.
Reacting to the death of one Cheeli Singayya during YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s recent Palnadu tour, the party said that the ruling alliance has turned vindictive, harassing YSRCP leaders, filing false cases, and now even politicising tragic accidents as it was unable to digest the massive public response during to the district tours of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Instead of treating the matter with the sensitivity it deserves, the ruling coalition is attempting to exploit the accidental death for political gain, in a deeply disturbing pattern, they are spreading false narratives and reviving the incident days later by selectively circulating false narratives, the party said.
Upon receiving news of the accident, Prathipadu YSRCP in-charge Kiran Kumar immediately rushed to the hospital and remained with the bereaved family until the postmortem was completed, offering them full support. Later that day, senior leader, former minister and Guntur District president Ambati Rambabu personally visited the family and extended heartfelt condolences. The following day, senior party leaders from the district, including Kommu Kanakaraju, visited the family again and handed over a financial assistance cheque of ₹10 lakh as a mark of support.
Meanwhile, the District Superintendent of Police clearly stated that the vehicle involved in the accident was a private vehicle, not part of Mr. Jagan’s convoy. The driver and owner were identified and interrogated, confirming that the accident had no connection with the convoy itself. Four days after the incident, the ruling coalition released a video to blame Mr. Jagan.
In the viral video circulated on Sunday, it is clearly visible that there was a large crowd surrounding the convoy, and Mr. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had no knowledge that the accident had occurred. For a Z plus security protectee, a rope party and road clearance team must lead the convoy. However, the current government has failed to provide adequate security, resulting in repeated lapses.
This is not an isolated instance. Similar security failures were observed during Mr. Jagan’s tours in Rapthadu and Podili. The coalition government has deliberately compromised on his security, while its allies are using these very lapses to orchestrate a character assassination campaign against him. It is not just insensitive, but a deliberate and dangerous political design, the YSR Congress Party said.