YCP leader arrested over post against CBN

Police have arrested YSR Congress Party General Secretary (Media Wing) Pudi Srihari for the alleged social media posts against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Srihari, who had served as the Chief Public Relations Officer when Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Minister, was arrested on Wednesday morning at his residence in Vijayawada.

The police have reportedly seized his mobile phone and laptop.

A case was registered against Srihari in Chittoor for posting a cartoon, showing a knife in the hand of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Condemning the arrest in what it called an illegal case, YSRCP leader and former Minister Ambati Rambabu said Chittoor 2 Town Circle Inspector Netti Kantayya forcibly took Srihari to Kuppam police station.

Reacting to the arrest, YSRCP’s legal cell posted that "Red Book Constitution" has once again bared its venomous fangs in the state.

‘Red Book Constitution’ is a reference to a red-coloured book carried by TDP leader Nara Lokesh during the 2024 election campaign, claiming that it has the names of all those who allegedly harassed TDP leaders and cadres during YSRCP rule.

The YSRCP said that despite repeated reprimands from the High Court, the conduct of the police -- who continue to trample upon democracy by engaging in illegal arrests -- remains unchanged.

The legal cell of the party announced that it will initiate legal action against Circle Inspector Netti Kantayya and has sought the intervention of the High Court.

Meanwhile, Tirupati MP Dr M. Gurumoorthy has strongly condemned the ‘illegal arrest’ of Srihari. He alleged that police illegally seized his mobile phones and laptop during the arrest.

“The ruling TDP is making a mockery of democracy by enforcing the “Red book constitution” to book illegal and false cases on the YSRCP functionaries and leaders in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The arrest of Pudi Srihari is yet another classic example of how desperate the ruling TDP is to divert the people’s attention from former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s scheduled visit to the Juvvaladinne fishing harbour in Nellore district today,” the MP said.

“The YSRCP will not be allowed to be bullied by such false cases and illegal arrests and will knock on the judiciary to fight for justice and to expose the undemocratic practices of the ruling coalition,” he added.