The recent spate of provocative and inflammatory comments by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders has raised questions about whether there is a calculated strategy behind this aggressive rhetoric.
It began with YSRCP supporters brandishing placards during party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rally to Rallapadu village in Palnadu district on June 19.
The placards threatened that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders would be “butchered rappa, rappa” (indiscriminately) once YSRCP returned to power in 2029.
Jagan’s apparent defense of such slogans seems to have emboldened party workers, as the same chants were repeated during his recent visit to the Bangarupalem market yard in Chittoor district.
Escalating the rhetoric further, senior YSRCP leader and former minister Perni Venkataramaiah, also known as Perni Nani, made shockingly violent remarks.
“Don’t raise slogans like ‘rappa rappa’ openly. Do it silently — at the wink of an eye, in the dark,” he said.
On Sunday, he intensified his verbal attacks by targeting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu personally.
“How long will this 76-year-old man live? Does he have the strength to bury a 50-year-old Jagan? Do you or your son think you have the guts?” he asked.
He later clarified, “I never told anyone to kill in the dark. If I wanted it done, I’d say do it in broad daylight.”
Perni Nani also targeted Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Ayyannapatrudu, saying, “Even at 80, Ayyannapatrudu hasn’t died yet,” and mocked former minister Kollu Ravindra by calling him “Sollu Ravindra,” accusing him of prioritizing liquor shop commissions over public service.
Sources suggest that the YSRCP’s strategy may be to provoke the TDP-led government into filing cases and jailing their leaders.
This could then be used to claim political harassment and suppression of opposition voices, potentially inciting street protests and unrest by YSRCP cadres.
If the government fails to respond, it could fuel discontent among TDP supporters, many of whom already believe that Naidu lacks the will to act decisively against YSRCP provocations.
In either scenario, analysts say, the situation poses a serious challenge for the TDP-led alliance.
1752502758.jpg)
