Senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Perni Nani on Friday accused sections of the media of unfairly targeting party president and former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Speaking to reporters at the YSRCP office in Tadepalli, Nani alleged that certain media outlets were attempting to tarnish Jagan’s reputation by linking him to corruption allegations involving power purchase agreements with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and industrialist Gautam Adani.
He claimed these reports were part of a deliberate smear campaign, driven by the YSRCP’s significant voter base of nearly 40%.
Nani criticized the alleged double standards in media coverage, pointing out that agreements involving Adani and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Chandrababu Naidu or his son Nara Lokesh were praised, while similar deals during Jagan’s tenure were labeled as corrupt.
“The same projects, like the Data Centre initiative, were hailed as visionary when signed by Chandrababu Naidu but are now being twisted into baseless corruption allegations against Jagan Mohan Reddy,” Nani remarked.
He accused Naidu of colluding with the Congress to weaken the YSRCP through false accusations, including claims of â¹1,750 crore in corruption.
Defending the SECI deal, he stated, “Signing an agreement with SECI is not a crime. The malicious headlines by certain media houses reveal their bias.”
Nani also highlighted alleged corruption involving Naidu, citing irregularities in Singapore where Naidu’s associate, Eshwaran, was reportedly jailed on corruption charges.
“This was international news, yet it has been conveniently ignored by the local media,” he added.
Drawing comparisons, Nani said, “When Naidu meets Adani, it is portrayed as a corporate collaboration. But if Jagan Mohan Reddy interacts with Adani, the media immediately attributes ulterior motives.”