Jagan accuses Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu of blatant misuse of power

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Amaravati, June 9 (IANS) Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grave concern over what he called the alarming breakdown of democracy and rule of law in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state has now become a symbol of anarchy under the Chandrababu-led regime.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president alleged that democratic voices, intellectuals, and journalists were being silenced through fear, intimidation, and blatant misuse of power.

Through a post on X, he strongly condemned the arrest of 70-year-old senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao, calling it an act of political vendetta. He questioned the rationale of arresting a moderator for remarks he never made, simply for hosting a debate.

“In any discussion, diverse opinions are natural. Punishing an anchor for guests’ statements is not only unjust, it’s dangerous,” he said.

He accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to divert public attention from his one-year failures, corruption, and betrayal of electoral promises by targeting media houses like ‘Sakshi’ and stifling critical voices.

This, he said, was not the first time Kommineni had faced vindictive actions — his previous job was taken away and his programs were censored between 2014 and 2019 for not supporting the TDP’s narrative. Jagan reminded Chandrababu that power is temporary.

“You were given five years — one has already passed. The day will come when the people will demand answers for your abuses and injustices,” he warned. “What you sow today, you will reap tomorrow — twice over,” he added.

Srinivasa Rao, an anchor of ‘Sakshi TV’ was arrested on Monday for alleged derogatory remarks about women of state capital Amaravati during a show on the channel owned by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The Andhra Pradesh police arrested the senior journalist from his residence in Hyderabad and shifted him to Guntur district where police registered a case against him, analyst V.V. Krishnam Raju and management of ‘Sakshi TV’.

The police registered a case on a complaint by some leaders of TDP who alleged that the participants in the show called Amaravati ‘capital of prostitutes’.

CM Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan have condemned the remarks and stated that those involved will not be spared.

–IANS

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Sharmista arrest case: Need to differentiate between hate speech and patriotism, say Kolkata Police

New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) Amid growing sympathy for arrested influencer Sharmista Panoli, the Kolkata Police on Sunday presented its patriotic credentials while countering ‘misleading narrative’ surrounding their action and her objectionable social media content.

In a post on social media platform X, the Kolkata Police justified their action of apprehending the 22-year-old law student, claiming they acted lawfully according to the procedure established by law.

“Hate speech and abusive language should not be misconstrued as freedom of speech and expression as enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution,” said the police.

“The accused was not arrested for expressing patriotism or for personal belief; legal actions were taken for sharing offensive content which promotes hatred among the communities,” the police said.

“Some social media accounts are spreading false information that Kolkata Police has unlawfully arrested a law student for opposing Pakistan. This narrative is mischievous and misleading,” said the post.

It said that the Kolkata Police took pains to differentiate between expressing national pride and hate speech targeting any religious figure or community or any class of citizens.

The police said: “Expressing national pride and patriotism is a thing that every citizen and organisation stands for. Kolkata Police being no different, stands firmly with the citizens of India.”

“At the time when the whole country stood united and our brave citizens were fighting at the frontier, posting such content on social media which is insulting and demeaning to any class of citizens of India is most abominable act. Any such act will only benefit our enemies,” said the Kolkata Police.

The post said the law student from Gurugram was arrested on the basis of allegations that she posted a video which was insulting to the religious belief of a class of citizen of India and amounted to promoting disharmony and hatred between different communities.

The police said that hate speech targeting any religious figure or community or any class of citizens of India which has potential to incites disharmony and hatred between different communities is a punishable offence in the newly implemented Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The clarification from Kolkata Police came on a day when celebrities like Bollywood star Kangna Ranaut said the arrest over a now-deleted social media post was ‘unjustified’ and amounted to North Korea-type dictatorship.

Targeting the Trinamool government in West Bengal, the National Award-winning actress and BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, said: “I request the government of West Bengal to not make the state another North Korea.”

Actor-cum-politician and Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also showed solidarity with Sharmistha and asked the police to act justly.

Sharmistha was arrested on Saturday from Gurugram in Haryana by Kolkata Police for posting videos containing communal remarks during Operation Sindoor. She was later sent to 14-day judicial custody.

–IANS

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Hindu Sena files application in SC supporting amendments to Waqf Act

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS) The Hindu Sena on Wednesday filed an intervention application before the Supreme Court supporting the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

The move came in the backdrop when multiple petitions have been filed before the apex court challenging the constitutional validity of the amendments introduced in the Waqf Act, 1995.

The latest application filed by the National President of Hindu Sena said that the amendments are in consonance with the scheme of Constitution of India.

“There is no violation of any right of any member of the Muslim Community. Rather the unamended provision of Waqf Act, 1995 caused serious prejudice to the right and interest of the non-Muslim members of society as in view of Section 3 read with Section 40 of Waqf Act, 1995, the properties of non-Muslim were taken over by Waqf board,” it said.

The application added that in view of the amendments, the non-Muslim will get justice whose properties have been taken over of claimed to be waqf properties.

It contended that the Parliament has amended the draconian provisions by the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2024 with no infirmity or illegality in the amendments.

Recently, the Union government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in response to the petitions seeking a stay on the implementation of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

A caveat serves as a notice submitted to a court by a party to a litigation who wishes to be heard in case any stay order is likely to be issued on the opponent’s plea.

The concept of ‘Waqf’, rooted in Islamic laws and traditions, refers to an endowment made by a Muslim for charitable or religious purposes, such as mosques, schools, hospitals, or other public institutions.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill (now an Act after Presidential assent) was recently passed by the Parliament after a marathon and intense debate in both Houses — the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

In both Lok Sabha as well as Rajya, deliberations on the Bill went beyond the midnight.

–IANS

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Jobless during pandemic, Bihar youth who went ‘vocal for local’ now runs bag factory

Patna, May 8 (IANS) A youth from Bihar’s Motihari district has become a shining example of ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help people explore their latent potential and also the strength of their indigenous resources.

The pandemic that broke out in 2020-21 destroyed many businesses and rendered many jobless, however, there were some who found an opportunity in crisis, a mantra given by PM Modi, and started their own ventures and enterprises.

Many people returned to their hometowns and started businesses of their own.

A Motihari youth named Mohammed Nurez has set an example of how one’s own enterprise could change destiny.

The young man from Motihari used to run his own bag factory in Maharashtra before Covid-19 struck, wreaking havoc across the country not just in tangible terms but also ruining scores of businesses. His factory was shut down due to shortage of demand, and he was forced to pack his bags and return to his village.

It was around the same time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the slogan of ‘Vocal for Local’, enthusing the countrymen to explore the start-up ideas to chase their dreams and also succeed in achieving it.

Inspired by the campaign, Mohammad Nurez set up a factory in his village Lakhaura and today, he is a known businessman of his area. He not only runs a factory but also provided employment to more than a hundred people.

Among those employed are from his village. Much like him, these people used to work outside Bihar before the Covid outbreak but returned home during the lockdown as they became unemployed.

Many of them are today employed in Nurez’s factory and are happily working while earning their livelihood.

Nurez says he is earning well too, but the bigger satisfaction for him is to employ many people in his factory.

Those working in his factory are also happy for living a dignified life in their own village and for this, they don’t mind thanking the Prime Minister enough.

–IANS

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