*Coalition gagging voice of dissent*

Tadepalli, May 9: YSRCP has flayed the coalition government for gagging the voice of dissent and using the police as a tool to settle political scores.
Speaking to the media here on Saturday, Party General Secretary Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy said the state is slipping into autocracy from democracy, with the government putting down dissent in every form using coercive methods, while the voice of dissent is not making it to the mainstream media.
For raising simple questions about corruption in a temple at Sri Kalahasti, the construction cost of Amaravati, or the extravagance of the state government, cases were booked against individuals and letters were written by authorities to block their social media accounts.
This is throttling the fundamental right to freedom of expression, and the media should highlight such issues, as social media platforms are being watched with a magnifying glass and letters are being written either to remove posts or block the accounts of those questioning the government on various issues.
Self-promotion, marginalization of dissent, and media control have been the methodology adopted by the government to shut down dissent, and it is using the police as a tool to execute its policy.
Marginalization of dissent and media control lead to highly authoritarian governance, and democracy will go for a toss. Such rule will not last long, and people will turn against it, as proven by many examples in history, he said.
People are living in constant fear, and the issue does not end with YSRCP but concerns everyone. The matter was also raised as a serious concern by former Chief Minister and YSRCP President Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on the X platform in a detailed manner, he said.