The unfortunate suicide by 32-year-old Gothi Geethanjali, allegedly due to trolling on social media for praising the Jagan Mohan Reddy government and his schemes, has undoubtedly created an embarrassing situation for the Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party.
However, the issue would not have snowballed into a major political controversy had the TDP simply ignored it or expressed regrets over the incident. But they chose to take political mileage by launching a counter-attack on the YSRCP.
In fact, the alleged trolling was not done by the party leaders on their official party handles; but by some people who claim themselves to be the “social media warriors” of the TDP and Jana Sena.
These overenthusiastic social media activists get away by posting ugly messages and morphed pictures just for the sake of it, without the knowledge of the official social media wings of the parties. Not just TDP, even the YSRCP has become a victim of such irresponsible trollers.
In the case of Geethanjali episode, too, the TDP should have maintained restraint, as the trolling was not done on its official party handle. But the party reacted strongly to the allegations of the YSRCP leaders and activists.
The TDP went to the extent of demanding a thorough investigation, raising several doubts casting aspersions on Geethanjali’s character.
The TDP questioned why Geethanjali was asked to come to the Tadepalli YSRCP social media office daily and why the YSRCP was depositing money into her bank account.
The party also questioned why the CCTV footage from Tenali Railway station was not released and who the two persons accompanying her at the railway station were, hours before she committed suicide.
The TDP also questioned why Geethanjali's phone call recordings have not been released.
The party asserts that CM Jagan Reddy, who previously exploited the deaths of his father, uncle, and the Kodi Katthi incident for political gain, is now exploiting Geethanjali's death.
TDP spokesman Tirunagari Jyothsna asked why a Medico-Legal Case (MLC) was not registered in this case.
"The police and YSRCP need to answer why no FIR was lodged from the period between 7th March to 11th March," said Prof. Jyothsna.
Naturally, the TDP’s reaction has further complicated the matter.
The police are now hellbent on targeting the trollers and the parties behind them. Guntur superintendent of police Tushar Dudi said Geetanjali was forced to commit suicide because she posted a video excitedly.
“We as AP govt and AP police will ensure that law comes down heavily in the perpetrators. We have identified few social media profiles which are handled by actual owners and few outright fake accounts and we will ensure we trace them out and take necessary actions,” he said.
