Times Square ad has nothing to do with Jagan govt!

The massive publicity advertisement put up on Times Square in New York with YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy appealing to the Telugu people in the US with regard to Coronavirus situation has got heavy trolling from his adversaries in politics and also some NRIs.

The digital display on the Times Square, set up by NRI represenatives of YSRC in the US, showed Jagan giving a brief speech appealing to the Telugu people in the US not to get scared due to Corona, but remain indoors to be safe and secure. He also promised that the government would take care of the welfare of the Telugu NRIs’ families back home in the AP.

It was a sort of goodwill gesture by Jagan’s fans and the state government had nothing to do with the advertisement. Yet, the Telugu Desam Party leaders alleged that the government was wasting huge money on getting publicity by giving such huge advertisements in New York.

On Saturday, AP government’s special representative in the US and YSRC NRI wing in-charge in the US Ratnakar Pandugayala clarified that the advertisement given on Times Square in New York was given by him at his own expense and that the AP government had not spent even a single rupee on the same.

“It was only an attempt to boost the morale of the NRI Telugus in the US by displaying the message of the chief minister. But it was unfortunate that the TDP sought to malign the Jagan government with its vilifying campaign,” Ratnakar said.

He reminded that the Chandrababu Naidu government in the past had wasted crores of rupees of public money to organize dharnas against the Modi government in the past.

“Now, the TDP is making a false campaign in the social media by saying that the government had spent crores of rupees on Times Square advertisement,” he alleged.

Ratnakar said he would file a defamation case against those who were indulging in this malicious campaign. “It was entirely my money and I can produce evidences, if anybody wants,” he clarified.