Crisis in Nellore: YSRCP MLA threatens to quit over alleged phone-tapping by Andhra Pradesh government

He also said that at least 30-35 MLAs — two ministers among them — and four MPs called him in the last two days and told him that their phones were also being tapped.

Venkatagiri MLA Anam Ramanarayana Reddy echoed the allegations: He said he suspected his phone had been tapped by the Andhra Pradesh government as well.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a meeting with his top aide and government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, and his party’s Nellore regional coordinator Balineni Srinivas Reddy to take stock of the situation and strategies to salvage the situation.

After all, Nellore has been a bastion for the YSRCP, which captured all the seats in the district in the 2019 Assembly polls.

Sridhar Reddy’s allegations

“An IPS officer four months ago told me that my phone was being tapped. At that time I didn’t believe his words. But, now I have evidence that my phone is being tapped. I can’t stay here under such circumstances while being watched with suspicion,” Sridhar Reddy said on Wednesday.

He further said that the evidence he had was a phone conversation he had with one of his childhood friends, which was shared with him by state intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu.

“A few days ago, I spoke to my childhood friend over the phone and received the audio clip from a phone number being used by the state intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu. Is it not evidence of phone tapping?” he asked.

“At least 30-35 MLAs, two ministers, and four MPs called me to tell me that their phones were also being tapped and that they were helpless,” said Sridhar Reddy.

“I have been with the party and fought with the ruling party when in the Opposition. I don’t deserve such a treatment from the party now,” he added.

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Counter-allegations

Former Andhra Pradesh minister and the YSRCP’s Nellore region coordinator Balineni Srinivas Reddy said he could prove the audio was a recording done by another person, and that it was not phone tapping, as alleged by Sridhar Reddy.

“I can prove that it was a recording and not phone-tapping. Anyway, the party will announce a new in charge of the Nellore Rural segment by tomorrow,” Balineni Srinivas Reddy told reporters on Wednesday after his evening meeting with Jagan.

Meanwhile, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy asked why the state government would tap anybody’s phone. He also said it was not appropriate on the part of Sridhar Reddy to make the remarks that he did.

“Sridhar Reddy has been expressing displeasure over the party’s central leadership for a few days. He has been making some harsh comments every now and then against the party. He was also summoned by Jagan when he openly expressed displeasure over not being given a berth in a Cabinet reshuffle last year,” said Ramakrishna Reddy.

Dissent in YSRCP ranks

Venkatagiri MLA Anam Ramanaraya Reddy, who was a minister in Jagan’s father YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s Cabinet, has also been sulking for some time.

Disappointed at not being included in Jagan’s first Cabinet and also after last year’s reshuffle, Ramanarayana Reddy has also been making some controversial remarks against YSRCP ever since the party came to power in 2019.

He created a flutter in December 2019, months after the YSRCP came to power, by claiming that mafia activities were underway in Nellore and police officers were being frequently transferred out of the place.

On 3 January, Jagan replaced him as Venkatagiri party in charge with former chief minister N Janardhan Reddy’s son Ram Kumar Reddy, which effectively meant Ramanarayana Reddy might not be considered for the YSRCP ticket in the 2024 polls. His security cover was also removed by the government.

For the last few days, he has been holding meetings with his supporters from the mandals that come under his constituency to decide about his future course of action.

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