Lokesh dares Jagan to come for an open debate on law and order

Reacting sharply to YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s remarks on the law and order situation in Andhra Pradesh, IT Minister Nara Lokesh said he is ready to have an open debate with the former Chief Minister on the issue.

Accusing Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy of spreading lies, Mr. Lokesh claimed that the YSRCP itself was built on a “foundation of abuse, violence, and lies”.

In a message on X on Wednesday, Mr. Lokesh said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy surrounded himself with a pack of liars and criminals masquerading as politicians and they were in the business of peddling lies.

Rebutting Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s allegation that the ‘Disha Act’ was stopped by the TDP Government, Mr. Lokesh said, “There was no Disha Act to begin with. There was never an Act or Law. This was the biggest fraud in the country in the name of women’s security.”

Countering the former Chief Minister’s claim that law and order was better under the YSRCP, Mr. Lokesh said 2,027 women were murdered between 2019 and 2024 but not a single criminal was booked under the Disha Act. Besides, over 30,000 women and girls disappeared during those five years, he alleged.

The YSRCP used the police for its benefit whereas the NDA Government (in A.P.) was using them to build a safer society, the Minister said in response to Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s charge that the police were not doing their duties.

“The truth is Jagan gave a free hand to his men and criminals to abuse and assault women in A.P., and got thrown out of power. The NDA is working tirelessly to undo his wrongdoings on women’s security and create an environment where women can feel safer. I guess we all know why that hurts YSRCP so much. They don’t even leave their own sisters and mothers unhurt - that’s their culture,” Mr. Lokesh observed.

Published - October 23, 2024 09:42 pm IST