YSR Congress MP Vijay Sai Reddy has made a highly provocative statement against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. In a media interaction, the 67-year-old MP from YSR Congress declared that if his party, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, comes to power again in the state, Chandrababu Naidu will be sent to jail—if he is alive by then. “Chandrababu appatiki brathiki unte, memu vachaka mail jail ki pampistham,” were his exact words, which translates to “If Chandrababu is alive, we will send him to jail once we come to power.”
This comment has drawn significant criticism, particularly for its apparent ageist undertone, considering that Naidu is 74 years old. Vijay Sai Reddy’s remark about Chandrababu’s age has sparked outrage among political observers, with many questioning the propriety of such comments from a senior leader of his own age group.
Vijaya Sai claimed that Chandrababu has set a bad precedent by arresting YCP karyakarthas and spreading false propaganda against Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Being a Rajya Sabha MP himself, Vijay Sai Reddy commenting about putting a veteran CM like Chandrababu in jail and ridiculing that only if he’s alive by then has not gone well with neutral observers.
Firstly, it is widely believed that Jagan arresting Chandrababu six months before the election was the turning point in AP electoral history as this formulated the NDA alliance, which letter went on to wipe away YSR Congress in the state.
But it appears that the Jagan party hasn’t learned lesson from this series of events as Vijay Sai Reddy has now challenged to put Chandrababu back in jail once Jagan becomes the CM again.
It has been only six months since the completion of the AP election and it is strange to see that YSR Congress instead of reflecting on the reasons behind historic downfall has already started to dream about putting Chandra Babu back in jail. Such antisocial comments will only do further damage to the party and deplete its prospects. If at all, it has any.