*ED raids are Diversion Politics: YSRCP*

Tadepalli, August 21: YSRCP State General Secretary Gadikota Srikanth Reddy said the Vivekananda Reddy murder case was being brought back into the spotlight only to divert public attention from serious issues confronting the coalition government.

Speaking at the YSRCP central office, he said the State was witnessing intense public debate over irregularities in DSC recruitment, ganja found in a vehicle carrying police officers, obstruction of Sugali Preethi’s mother during her wheelchair protest, and the hit-and-run incident involving the son of ruling-party MP Lingamaneni Ramesh in which a young woman died. He said the Enforcement Directorate had now entered the Viveka case for the first time and conducted searches at YSRCP MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy’s residence, while Yellow Media projected the raids as though a major breakthrough had been achieved.

Srikanth Reddy challenged the government to order a CBI probe into DSC irregularities, particularly the sports quota, and said YSRCP was equally prepared for a CBI inquiry into the Group-1 irregularities being cited against the previous government.

On the Vivekananda Reddy murder case, he said Chandrababu Naidu was Chief Minister when the murder took place and a SIT investigation was conducted, followed by a CBI probe. With the case now before the courts, he questioned why obstacles were being created to a full trial and why the truth was not being allowed to emerge.

He also questioned the role of advocate Siddharth Luthra, who appears in several important cases connected with Chandrababu and is also representing an accused in the Viveka case, and demanded transparency over public money spent on legal fees.

Srikanth Reddy said YSRCP wanted the trial to proceed without interference. “Vivekananda Reddy was our leader and the brother of late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Stop false narratives and diversion politics. Let the investigation and trial proceed, and let the truth come before the people,” he said.