Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav joins former Andhra Pradesh CM and YSRCP President Jagan Mohan Reddy during the YSRCP's protest against the Andhra Pradesh government at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday staged a dharna in New Delhi over political violence in Andhra Pradesh against his party cadres. Responding to his invite, several I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders, including SP’s Akhilesh Yadav; Shiv Sena (UBT)‘s Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi; TMC’s Nadimul Haq; and AIADMK’s M Thambidurai turned up to lend him support.
In a post on X, Jagan said that in the last 45 days, leaders and workers of the ruling TDP are “causing widespread fear” among the people of the state. “The targeted violence and harassment faced by YSRC Party sympathisers is not just an attack on a political party but an attack on democracy itself… Due to the unleashing of the self-styled ‘Red Book’ governance by the TDP, policing has been made ineffective”, Jagan alleged.
In his post, he also alleged that in the last 45 days, more than 30 people have been murdered, more than 300 murder attempts have been made, 35 people have died by suicide, 560 private properties have been destroyed, 490 government properties have been vandalised, nearly 2,700 families have left their homes and villages, and over 1,050 incidents of violence and attacks have been reported.
Jagan met leaders and reporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in what his party termed as a “photo exhibition”, and showed them videos and photos of the violence. He thanked the I.N.D.I.A. leaders for their show of support.
SP’s Akhilesh Yadav told reporters that if he had not landed at the dharna and not seen the photos and videos himself he would not have believed the magnitude of the violence.
"In politics, sometimes you are in power and sometimes you are not. I simply want to say that those in power should listen to others, not take their lives. These pictures and videos show the injustice done to those not in power. Elected members have been attacked in a healthy democracy and this is not acceptable. Tomorrow, Jagan can become CM and we, in the Samajwadi Party, reject this bulldozer culture in democracy", Yadav said.
Raut said that a special team should be sent to Andhra Pradesh for an independent enquiry into the violence. AIADMK leader Thambidurai alleged that in Tamil Nadu, the DMK had carried out similar violence. “In 200 days, as many as 595 people were killed. We request the central government to take action. This kind of atrocities, whether it is in AP or TN, should be stopped,” he said.