A couple of days ago, YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a press conference to address the criticism surrounding the alleged adulteration of the Tirupati laddu during his regime.
The press conference should have focused entirely on the Tirupati laddu controversy, explaining the stringent measures taken to ensure the quality of the laddu and the sanctity of the Tirumala temple.
However, the scriptwriters responsible for preparing Jagan’s points to counter the criticism from Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena Party, and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, seemed to have muddled his message.
Instead of providing a clear, point-by-point rebuttal on the Tirupati laddu issue, Jagan diverted into topics like Naidu’s 100-day rule, the non-implementation of welfare schemes, the suspension of IPS officers in the Kadambari Jethwani case, and floods.
When Jagan did address the laddu issue, he stumbled on several points and struggled to pronounce the names of tests properly, which led to massive trolling on social media.
He avoided several contentious issues but defended Y V Subba Reddy by referencing his Ayyappa Mala.
Sources say the person responsible for this misstep was Jagan’s chief public relations officer, Pudi Srihari, who has been scripting his responses on various issues.
When Jagan was in power, he had a skilled scriptwriter in GVD Krishna Mohan, who disappeared after the party lost the elections.
Now, Srihari seems to have full control, and Jagan is relying on his inputs. Allegations have also surfaced that Srihari is handling the party's social media campaign, which has resulted in subpar content.
It would be wise for Jagan to seek out more experienced scriptwriters and advisors who can guide him on what to say, and what to avoid, in public forums.