Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday, 1 June levelled sharp allegations against the Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), accusing it of 'hatching conspiracies' to create social unrest and derail the coalition government's development agenda. Naidu made the remarks while addressing a public meeting at Chamavaram village in Kakinada district, following his participation in the NTR Bharosa pension distribution programme.

Key Allegations Against YSRCP

Naidu claimed the Opposition, which he referred to as the 'Axe Party', had grown increasingly frustrated watching the state's development and was now resorting to destabilising tactics. He alleged YSRCP members were behind a series of incidents designed to incite communal and political unrest.

Among the most pointed allegations, Naidu revisited the death of Vivekananda Reddy, a senior YSRCP leader and uncle of party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. 'They murdered their uncle, Vivekananda Reddy, yet claimed it was a heart attack. It was only after the post-mortem that it was revealed that he had been hacked to death with an axe,' Naidu alleged.

Governance Record and Job Vacancies

Naidu contrasted the coalition's governance record with what he described as the failures of the previous YSRCP administration. He claimed the previous government did not fill a single teacher vacancy during its five-year tenure, and that the coalition, despite navigating 241 legal cases, had resolved them and successfully filled those posts.

He said the recruitment process was conducted through a computerised system using a pool of 40,000 questions and 25 different question paper sets to prevent irregularities. 'However, the YSRCP, acting out of frustration, is attempting to politicise this issue in order to gain political mileage,' he alleged.

Incidents Cited as Evidence of Conspiracies

Naidu cited several specific incidents he attributed to YSRCP. He alleged that during a condolence visit, party workers ran over and killed their own activist, Singayya, with a vehicle and fled the scene. He also alleged that a priest from Kadapa, identified as Praveen, was dispatched to stage a fake assassination attempt and pin the blame on the ruling coalition. When Praveen died in a motorcycle accident, Naidu claimed attempts were made to blame the government for that too — a conspiracy he said was exposed using CCTV footage.

Additionally, he alleged that liquor bottles were surreptitiously placed at the Kaustubham Guest House in Tirumala in a bid to desecrate the sacred site. 'I warn that it is unacceptable to attack and desecrate Hindu temples through malicious conspiracies,' Naidu said.

Murders and Statue Vandalism

On the killing of Pedda Dastagiri in Kadapa, Naidu alleged it was YSRCP members who committed the murder over a property dispute but attempted to implicate the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). In Nandyal, he alleged that the individual who vandalised the statue of Rajasekhara Reddy was a YSRCP activist, adding that the accused was apprehended within 20 minutes.

These allegations mark a significant escalation in the political confrontation between the ruling coalition and YSRCP, and are likely to intensify ahead of upcoming local body elections across the state.