Tadepalli, Sept 1: Former minister Chelluboina Venugopala Krishna said that Chandrababu Naidu’s authoritarian mindset has once again been exposed through his government’s coordinated campaign to muzzle the press. He said the FIR filed against Sakshi for reporting on irregularities in police promotions was not an isolated case, but part of a systematic attempt to intimidate and silence independent journalism.
He recalled how senior journalist Kommineni Srinivas, a 70-year-old veteran of the profession, was earlier taken into custody in Hyderabad for remarks he never even made. He said Kommineni’s words were deliberately twisted and misrepresented to frame a false case, proving how far Naidu’s regime was willing to go to suppress respected voices in journalism and send a chilling warning to others. He further pointed out that even the Supreme Court had slammed the government for such harassment of journalists, underscoring the unlawful misuse of power.
The former minister said this campaign of harassment has escalated into coordinated attacks on Sakshi offices across the state. From district headquarters to mandal-level bureaus, Sakshi reporters have been systematically targeted with false police cases, physical assaults, and open threats from TDP leaders and supporters. Even local MLAs, he said, had directly threatened Sakshi reporters, creating an atmosphere of fear. He described these assaults as organized and state-sponsored, aimed at crippling one of the few media institutions that consistently exposes the failures and corruption of the ruling dispensation.
He added that Sakshi’s Editor, Dhanunjay Reddy, had also been unfairly targeted, with his residence searched despite no complaint being filed against him. He termed this as blatant state intimidation and a desperate effort to silence senior journalists who refuse to yield to political pressure.
Chelluboina Venugopala Krishna criticised Chandrababu Naidu for focusing all his energy on silencing dissent instead of addressing corruption, administrative failures, and people’s suffering. He said that misusing the police as a political weapon against journalists, while orchestrating coordinated attacks on media houses, amounted to nothing less than a declaration of war on democracy.
He affirmed that YSRCP will continue to stand in solidarity with every media professional facing harassment and threats for doing their duty. He said truth could never be silenced, and democracy could not survive without a fearless and independent press.
*YS Jagan pays tributes to Kasu Brahmananda Reddy*
