Coalition govt using police to crush dissent

Tadepalli, Nov 18: YSR Congress Party strongly condemned the illegal and politically motivated arrest of party spokesperson Karumuri Venkata Reddy. 
In separate press meets, YSRCP leaders MLC Tumati Madhav Rao, Former MLA  and YSRCP SC Cell President TJR Sudhakar Babu, MLA Tatiparthi Chandrasekhar, and YSRCP Legal Cell President Manohar Reddy condemned this arrest as a direct assault on democratic rights and an attempt by the coalition government to suppress any voice that questions its failures.
MLC Tumati Madhav Rao said the government is snatching away the fundamental right to speak in a democracy. He questioned why TDP leaders were allowed to make multiple statements regarding the CI’s death even before the investigation began, yet no action was taken against them. 
“But when a YSRCP leader speaks, they file illegal cases,” he said. 
He criticised the police for ignoring the violent attack on the YSRCP office in Hindupur while acting swiftly against YSRCP leaders, stating that law and order have been abandoned in favour of the TDP’s political agenda.
Former MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu called the arrest shameful and unlawful, saying the coalition government has lost all restraint and turned the law and police system into the private property of Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh. He condemned the government’s intolerance toward scrutiny, pointing out that while their own media spreads false narratives about Satish’s death, cases are filed only when YSRCP questions the government. “Filing fabricated cases and jailing our leaders will not intimidate us” he warned.
MLA Tatiparthi Chandrasekhar said the government has begun criminalising questioning itself. He asked how the government could declare Satish’s death a murder even before receiving the post-mortem report. He also criticised the government for ignoring attacks on officials, false statements made by ruling leaders, and widespread lawlessness, while acting instantly against YSRCP voices. He demanded the unconditional release of Venkata Reddy.
YSRCP Legal Cell President Manohar Reddy condemned the arrest as a dangerous trend where even official spokespersons are being targeted. He said the coalition government, which came to power with false promises, is filing cases against social media activists simply for questioning it, and has now stooped to arresting party spokespersons. He stated that Venkata Reddy merely expressed doubts about CI Satish’s death and sought an impartial investigation. Meanwhile, those who directly accused YSRCP leaders of murder faced no action. He criticised the police for rushing overnight from a late-night complaint in Tadipatri to arrest Venkata Reddy in Hyderabad by morning, calling it a shameful collapse of policing standards. He affirmed that YSRCP will take legal action against officers who misuse their authority.
YSRCP demands the immediate withdrawal of all false cases and the unconditional release of Karumuri Venkata Reddy.