'Like a dictator...': Jagan Mohan Reddy slams N Chandrababu Naidu for demolishing office

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

YSRCP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday reacted to the Andhra Pradesh government's action of demolishing his party's under-construction office in Tadepalli, saying chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu took "vendetta politics" to a new level. He also called the politician a dictator.

YSRCP has alleged that the demolition was carried out in violation of the high court's order. He said the office was almost completed.

"Chandrababu took vendetta politics to the next level. Like a dictator, he got YSRCP's central office demolished with excavators and bulldozers, which was almost complete," said Reddy in a post on 'X'.

The demolition began at 5.30 am on Saturday, said the party in a statement. It claimed the party had moved the high court against the proposed action.

"The demolition proceeded even though the YSRCP had approached the High Court the previous day (Friday), challenging the preliminary actions of the CRDA (Capital Region Development Authority)," said the statement.

It added that the court had ordered a halt to the demolition activity. It said the party's lawyer had conveyed the decision to the commissioner of the body.

YSRCP termed CRDA's action "contempt of court".

The former chief minister alleged that law and justice completely vanished in the southern state under the NDA government, comprising TDP, BJP and Janasena, and added that the demolition indicates how Naidu's reign in the next five years would be.

The YSRCP chief said that the opposition party will not be intimidated by these vendetta politics.

Meanwhile, TDP has said the "illegal construction was demolished after taking into consideration prevailing laws and rules. He said N Chandrababu Naidu never followed the path of political vendetta.

"As per the law and prevailing rules, any illegal construction needs to be demolished. Today, the party office of YSRCP which is being built illegally without obtaining any permissions from the concerned departments is being demolished as per the rules. This has nothing to do with any kind of political vendetta as the YSRCP is alleging. First, they should answer whether the constitution which they have taken up has the required permissions or not...TDP and Nara Chandrababu Naidu have never followed the path of political vendetta," said TDP leader Pattabhi Ram Kommareddy.

The fresh controversy comes amid a row over TDP's allegation that Reddy built a hilltop palace worth ₹500 crore in Visakhapatnam.

With inputs from PTI, ANI

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