YS Jagan's visit, as expected, turned out to be a high-octane show, with his supporters crowding his convoy in multitudes, rending the air with full-throated slogans in his support.
Published Jul 31, 2025 | 4:18 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 31, 2025 | 4:18 PM
YS Jagan in Nellore. (YSRCP/ X)
Synopsis: YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to Nellore on 31 July turned into a massive show of strength despite heavy police restrictions. Officially visiting jailed leader Kakani Govardhan Reddy and former MLA Prasanna Kumar Reddy, Jagan criticized the TDP government, warning of future legal action. Clashes broke out as police tried to control crowds, leading to protests and detentions.
In yet another show of strength, YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to Nellore on Thursday, 31 July, drew huge crowds.
He was visiting the district ostensibly to inquire into the well-being of former minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, who is in judicial remand in Nellore jail in the quartz scam, and former MLA N Prasanna Kumar Reddy, whose house was recently attacked allegedly by TDP activists after the former made some objectionable comments on TDP Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy.
His visit, as expected, turned out to be a high-octane show, with his supporters crowding his convoy in multitudes, rending the air with full-throated slogans in his support. The crowds swelled despite police measures to minimize the number to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
After visiting Prasanna Kumar Reddy, Jagan Mohan Reddy warned Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Minister N Lokesh that after he comes back to power, he would ensure they stand as culprits before the law for all the illegal acts being perpetrated now in the state.
“I am warning the officials also who are aiding the political class in their illegal activities. Even if one is hiding after crossing oceans or has opted for voluntary retirement, I will reach out to them and see that they are punished,” he said.
The former chief minister said, at present, emergency-like conditions are prevailing in the state while corruption has become rampant everywhere. “The MLAs of the ruling party are brazenly collecting payoffs from businessmen like those who sell liquor or are engaged in mining business.”
He said in Nellore, that, “The officials have dug up roads to prevent my supporters from reaching me. Why is he afraid of the Opposition leader? It is better if he jumps into a well,” he said.
Jagan’s Nellore visit began with his arrival at Chemudugunta helipad at 10:45 a.m., after departing from Tadepalli near Vijayawada by helicopter. His first stop was Nellore Central Prison, where he met Kakani Govardhan Reddy, a former minister remanded in judicial custody over allegations concerning illegal quartz mining.
Jagan was accompanied by Govardhan Reddy’s daughter, MP M Gurumoorthy, and former minister K Venkata Nageswara Rao. They conferred with Govardhan Reddy at the jail for about half an hour and then set out for Prasanna Kumar Reddy’s residence in Sujatha Colony in Nellore. On 7 July, some persons alleged to be TDP workers had ransacked his house after his derogatory comments on Prashanthi Reddy, Kovur TDP MLA.
The visit, intended as a show of support for beleaguered YSRCP leaders, quickly turned into a no-holds-barred roadshow as the party activists thronged the streets.
Jagan Mohan Reddy has an uncanny sense of converting his visits into highly charged shows of his popularity and used this skill in Nellore too. His convoy of cars wound through roads crammed with his admirers waving at him in a frenzy as he stood on the footboard of his SUV, greeted them back, and shook hands with those who happened to be very close to him.
The Andhra Pradesh Police imposed strict curbs to prevent large gatherings, citing public safety concerns. Notices were issued under Section 168 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, limiting the entourage to 15 vehicles and restricting prison access to three individuals for the ‘mulaqat.’
Only 10 people were permitted at the helipad, and gatherings were banned both at the prison and at the residence of Prasanna Kumar Reddy, which is located in a narrow lane prone to congestion quickly. The police deployed nearly 900 personnel, six drones, and 40 CCTV cameras, setting up barbed wire barricades across Nellore.
In several areas, roads had been dug up to prevent the movement of vehicles. The police warned activists against erecting banners that could incite violence.
The YSRCP leaders took strong objection to the curbs imposed by the police. YSRCP leaders, including MLC Parvathareddy Chandrashekhar Reddy, called the measures a “conspiracy” by the TDP-led government to stifle Jagan’s public outreach.
As crowds kept surging, at one place police resorted to a mild lathi-charge to disperse them, leading to chaos. Former MLA Prasanna Kumar Reddy, attempting to join Jagan’s convoy, was intercepted by police, which led to a confrontation.
He staged a sit-in protest on the road, joined by YSRCP workers, before being briefly detained and later released. He told the media while protesting that the police had manhandled him and that he had sustained an injury on his hand.
The TDP, however, justified the police measures, citing past incidents during Jagan’s tours in Rentapalla and Bangarupalem, where crowd control failures led to stampedes and injuries.
TDP leaders, including Education Minister Nara Lokesh, accused Jagan of fostering a culture of lawlessness, pointing to Prasanna Kumar Reddy’s misogynistic remarks as the trigger for the earlier attack on his residence.
The Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also condemned Prasanna’s comments, framing the vandalism as a public reaction to his behaviour.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
