When the YSR Congress Party, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was in power in Andhra Pradesh, the state police officers’ association was very active and reacted sharply to any criticism from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders, including party president N. Chandrababu Naidu and general secretary Nara Lokesh, against the police.
AP police officers’ association president Janakula Srinivasa Rao was at the forefront of launching tirades against Naidu, Lokesh, and particularly TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah for questioning the inaction of the police regarding alleged atrocities by YSRCP leaders.
Srinivasa Rao issued statements strongly attacking Naidu and other TDP leaders on various incidents, such as the violence at Punganuru, Angallu, and Palnadu.
He even criticized Lokesh for flaunting the “Red Book,” which threatened that the names of police officers troubling TDP leaders were being noted down, and demanded action against him.
Srinivasa Rao also alleged that the police unearthed a conspiracy by recovering weapons, bullets, stones, and sticks from vehicles present at the TDP’s meeting venue in Punganur, claiming that TDP workers unleashed violence at Naidu’s behest.
Now that the TDP has come to power in Andhra Pradesh with a massive mandate, the police officers’ association has changed its tune. It is now trying to appease the Naidu government and asking for forgiveness for past actions.
The association leaders, led by Srinivasa Rao, came to NTR Bhavan on Friday and met Varla Ramaiah. They apologized for their abusive comments made against him, Naidu, and others in the past.
“We had to do so under pressure from higher-ups those days. Please don’t keep our comments in mind,” they said.
Srinivasa Rao informed the TDP leaders that the former Director General of Police had completely destabilized the police machinery and used police officials as servants of the ruling party.
He strongly condemned Jagan’s statement that the Vinukonda incident was due to police failure.