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Amaravati, May 9 (PTI) YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of using the police machinery as a political tool to suppress dissent, curb freedom of speech, and target political opponents.

Although Article 19 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech—"one of the most sacred and non-negotiable pillars of democracy"—the opposition leader alleged that this fundamental right is being subjected to a dangerous, systematic, and deeply disturbing assault under the TDP-led coalition government.

However, there was no immediate reaction from the TDP.

"Hello India! AP (Andhra Pradesh) CM N Chandrababu Naidu has been using the police department as his political tool to curb dissent, suppress opposition voices, and systematically curtail freedom of speech in Andhra Pradesh (sic)," Reddy claimed in a post on X late on Friday.

According to Reddy, the Andhra police machinery is increasingly being "weaponised as a political tool to intimidate critics, silence opposition voices, and create an atmosphere of fear among citizens who question the government".

He alleged that a systematic campaign of political vendetta, authoritarian intimidation, and institutional "misuse of power" was being unleashed against social media activists, YSRCP supporters, journalists, and ordinary citizens who dared to expose the "failures, hypocrisy, corruption, and anti-people governance" of the TDP coalition.

Reddy claimed that the modus operandi has become "frighteningly clear and predictable", beginning with TDP leaders and their affiliated supporters "continuously filing politically motivated complaints" against social media posts, videos, comments, and opinions questioning the TDP government or criticising its leaders.

"Acting almost immediately on these complaints, the police department rushes to register cases, invoke exaggerated and questionable legal provisions, file false and fabricated FIRs, and begin coercive harassment against dissenting voices," he said.

The "misuse of power" does not stop there, the YSRCP chief said, alleging that the police department itself was sending notices to social media platform X and other platforms, demanding the removal of content critical of TDP leaders and seeking the "blocking or suspension of accounts that expose government failures or question those in power." "This coordinated censorship campaign clearly demonstrates how the Naidu government is using the police department as its political enforcement machinery to control public discourse, crush dissent, and suppress democratic expression," Reddy alleged.

Noting that such alleged coercive steps expose the "insecure, intolerant, vindictive, and deeply authoritarian mindset" of the government, the opposition leader observed that the NDA alliance government appears "terrified of criticism, accountability, transparency, and public scrutiny".

However, he alleged that the TDP’s propaganda ecosystem continuously spread "toxic misinformation, character assassination campaigns, abusive trolling, hate-driven narratives, and malicious attacks" against YSRCP leaders and political opponents daily.

Complaints filed against them are "conveniently ignored", he claimed.

"No action, no FIRs, no accountability. This shocking double standard and blatant misuse of state machinery represent a grave attack on democratic values, constitutional freedoms, civil liberties, and the very spirit of democracy itself," he alleged.

Reddy underscored that democracy cannot survive in an atmosphere where fear replaces freedom, intimidation replaces accountability, police institutions become political weapons, and criticism is criminalised.

"We strongly condemn these draconian, repressive, politically motivated, and anti-democratic actions, and demand that the Andhra Pradesh government immediately stop abusing police power, targeting opposition voices, manipulating social media regulation, and throttling democratic dissent," Reddy added. PTI STH SSK