Andhra Pradesh leaders take political criticism to the lowest level with choicest abuses
Photo: BCCL
Amaravati: Over the last few days, people in Andhra Pradesh are subjected to a foul-mouthed political environment with elected representatives freely hurling their choicest abuses against opponents. While media persons are the captive audience for the free use of un-parliamentary language by politicians, people in general too are forced to lend their eyes and ears, thanks to the repeat airing of ‘uncomfortable’ words used to by respective leaders in some TV channels.
The ruling YSR Congress and main oppositionTelugu Desam Party leaders have engaged in an exchange of abuses over the last one week. Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi, who resigned from the TDP and announced support to the YS Jagan government, has been facing criticism that he is using unparliamentary words while in Ayyappa Deeksha. Vamsi waged verbal attack on TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, his son Lokesh, TDP senior leader YVB Rajendra Prasad and several others during a debate on a TV channel. The channel felt uncomfortable with Vamsi’s language and conveyed its regrets to Rajendra Prasad, abruptly winding up the debate. But, the clip was aired repeatedly.
“The language used by politicians in the state over the last few days is disgusting. The opposition seems to be in frustration and the ruling party appears to be in defence over the issues raised by the opposition,” says political analyst M Yugandhar Reddy. “When Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan raised the issue of compulsory English medium in government schools, the Chief Minister, instead of defending his decision, made unwarranted personal attack on him commenting that he married thrice and had five children,” he added.
Politicians using harsh and derogatory words against rivals has been a practice for many years but it reached a new low over the last few days. Even Assembly Speaker T Sitaram made harsh comments that TDP president Chandrababu Naidu would be strip-thrashed. After TDP leaders waged a counter-attack, ruling party MLAs lodged a petition before the Speaker, demanding action against those who degraded the Speaker’s post.
Civil supplies minister Kodali Nani used unparliamentary language while criticising Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday. Political observers say top leaderships of both the parties to blame for the current situation that is worrying even ordinary people in the state.
“Chandrababu Naidu being the senior most politician in the state kept quiet to utterances of his ministers and MLAs when in power. Several instances of using objectionable language surfaced inside and outside the Assembly. Now, the TDP is getting all that back. If the leaderships of the parties cannot control their juniors, they should at least organise training sessions for their elected representatives,” says political observer Mallu Rajesh.
“The leaders should bear in mind that many of their juniors and cadres grow seeing them. It is just like their own children growing seeing them. They should be conscious about how they are nurturing the next generation,” Rajesh said.
TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah called for an end to the use of abusive language in political attacks. “It is common to criticise one another. But, we need to observe our language,” he said.
Frustration in parties?
There is talk that the TDP is trying its best to realign with the BJP, with which it parted ways before the April elections. Chandrababu Naidu has asked his MPs to raise crucial controversial decisions of Jaganmohan Reddy government in the Parliament during the ensuing session. Canceling the Amaravati capital region startup area project with the Singapore consortium, review of power purchase agreements (PPAs), stalling Polavaram irrigation project are among the issues the TDP has decided to raise in the Parliament.
The BJP leadership in Andhra Pradesh has been critical of YS Jagan’s freebies, suspense over capital Amaravati, conversion of all government schools into English medium, review of PPAs and delay in execution of Polavaram project in the name of reverse tendering are among others.
On the other, the TDP has apprehensions that Jaganmohan Reddy is hell-bent on weakening it and ensure that it loses the principal opposition party status in Assembly. While Vallabhaneni Vamsi quit the party, another MLA from north coastal Andhra has been staying away from all the party programmes since its defeat in the elections.
The ruling YSR Congress and main opposition
“The language used by politicians in the state over the last few days is disgusting. The opposition seems to be in frustration and the ruling party appears to be in defence over the issues raised by the opposition,” says political analyst M Yugandhar Reddy. “When Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan raised the issue of compulsory English medium in government schools, the Chief Minister, instead of defending his decision, made unwarranted personal attack on him commenting that he married thrice and had five children,” he added.
Senior journalist and political analyst Telakapalli Ravi said, "It is very ugly and disgusting. They are doing it wantonly, In the process, undermining public respect for politicians as a whole. They, however, lost all credibility long ago. This level of abuses were not seen in recent times."
Politicians using harsh and derogatory words against rivals has been a practice for many years but it reached a new low over the last few days. Even Assembly Speaker T Sitaram made harsh comments that TDP president Chandrababu Naidu would be strip-thrashed. After TDP leaders waged a counter-attack, ruling party MLAs lodged a petition before the Speaker, demanding action against those who degraded the Speaker’s post.
Photo: BCCL
Civil supplies minister Kodali Nani used unparliamentary language while criticising Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday. Political observers say top leaderships of both the parties to blame for the current situation that is worrying even ordinary people in the state.
“Chandrababu Naidu being the senior most politician in the state kept quiet to utterances of his ministers and MLAs when in power. Several instances of using objectionable language surfaced inside and outside the Assembly. Now, the TDP is getting all that back. If the leaderships of the parties cannot control their juniors, they should at least organise training sessions for their elected representatives,” says political observer Mallu Rajesh.
“The leaders should bear in mind that many of their juniors and cadres grow seeing them. It is just like their own children growing seeing them. They should be conscious about how they are nurturing the next generation,” Rajesh said.
TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah called for an end to the use of abusive language in political attacks. “It is common to criticise one another. But, we need to observe our language,” he said.
Frustration in parties?
There is talk that the TDP is trying its best to realign with the BJP, with which it parted ways before the April elections. Chandrababu Naidu has asked his MPs to raise crucial controversial decisions of Jaganmohan Reddy government in the Parliament during the ensuing session. Canceling the Amaravati capital region startup area project with the Singapore consortium, review of power purchase agreements (PPAs), stalling Polavaram irrigation project are among the issues the TDP has decided to raise in the Parliament.
Photo: BCCL
The BJP leadership in Andhra Pradesh has been critical of YS Jagan’s freebies, suspense over capital Amaravati, conversion of all government schools into English medium, review of PPAs and delay in execution of Polavaram project in the name of reverse tendering are among others.
On the other, the TDP has apprehensions that Jaganmohan Reddy is hell-bent on weakening it and ensure that it loses the principal opposition party status in Assembly. While Vallabhaneni Vamsi quit the party, another MLA from north coastal Andhra has been staying away from all the party programmes since its defeat in the elections.
