YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday, 2 August launched a sharp attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, accusing him of pursuing 'politics of vendetta' and 'authoritarian governance', and pledging that his party would not back down despite what he described as systematic use of police machinery against political opponents.

Jagan's Direct Challenge to Naidu

In a post on X, Jagan Mohan Reddy addressed the Chief Minister directly: 'Mr Chandrababu, remember this: Political Power is not permanent. Neither is the power of the police. False cases are not permanent. No matter how many cases you file, how many midnight arrests you carry out, how many doors you break open, or how many police personnel you deploy, the YSR Congress Party will not retreat. We will continue to stand by the victims, challenge injustice, and fight against authoritarian governance.'

He added: 'You may be able to arrest individuals, but you cannot break the courage that resides in the hearts of the people, nor can you silence the questions they continue to ask.'

DSC-2025 Controversy and Lokesh Resignation Demand

Jagan Mohan Reddy reiterated his demand for the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh over alleged irregularities in the District Selection Committee-2025 (DSC-2025) teacher recruitment process. He questioned why no CBI inquiry had been ordered into the matter despite the scale of the alleged irregularities.

The YSRCP chief raised a series of pointed questions: why the government had failed to release a pending ₹9,500 crore under the Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena welfare schemes; why the promised unemployment allowance of ₹3,000 per month was abandoned; and when the government would clear ₹1.08 lakh in arrears owed to every unemployed youth over the past three years.

Allegations of Police Excess and Selective Action

Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged a pattern of selective law enforcement, claiming that when attacks were carried out by members of the ruling party, they faced no action, while criminal cases were filed against YSRCP members who were themselves victims. He alleged that public representatives who stood by those victims were also booked, and that those who questioned the government faced midnight police raids.

'If public representatives stand by the victims, they too are booked. Those who question the government are arrested. Those who dare to hold it accountable face midnight police raids, with their doors being broken open. Is this democracy? Is this justice? Is this the rule of law?' he said.

Gen Z and Grassroots Discontent

The YSRCP president also claimed that younger voters — particularly Gen Z — are increasingly raising their voices against the Naidu government across Andhra Pradesh, suggesting that the opposition's base of support extends beyond traditional party loyalists. This comes amid broader public scrutiny of the state government's handling of welfare disbursements and recruitment processes.

What Comes Next

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government has not yet issued a formal response to Jagan Mohan Reddy's latest salvo. With the DSC-2025 controversy unresolved and welfare arrears outstanding, the political temperature in Andhra Pradesh is likely to remain elevated in the weeks ahead.