Vidadala Rajini has filed complaints with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW).
Published Jun 13, 2025 | 6:28 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 13, 2025 | 6:28 PM
Former Minister Vidadala Rajini writes to the NHRC against ABN Andhrajyothy. (Supplied)
Synopsis: YSRCP leader Vidadala Rajini has accused ABN Andhrajyothy of airing misogynistic content targeting her and other women leaders, prompting complaints to the NHRC and NCW. She also questioned the state Women’s Commission’s impartiality. Meanwhile, analyst VV Krishnam Raju was arrested on 11 June over derogatory remarks made during a debate on Sakshi TV, sparking protests and legal actions, including an NHRC case against Sakshi.
In a deepening controversy over misogyny and media ethics in Andhra Pradesh, the arrest of news analyst VV Krishnam Raju on Wednesday, 11 June, has ignited a broader political and legal firestorm.
His detention was followed by widespread protests led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) over derogatory remarks made against women from Amaravati during a debate on Sakshi TV on 6 June.
Now, YSRCP leader and former minister Vidadala Rajini has alleged that she and fellow YSRCP women leaders, including RK Roja, have been subjected to politically motivated online and televised abuse through vulgar content and offensive debates aired on an other major Telugu 24/7 news channel ABN Andhrajyothy.
She has taken the matter national—filing complaints with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW).
The complaint to NHRC read: “I, Vidadala Rajini, former Minister, write this petition with deep anguish and sincere respect to bring to your kind attention a deeply disturbing trend of online sexual harassment, character assassination, and gender-based abuse, targeting me and several other women, in connection with politically motivated campaigns on social media and television.”
“After the formation of the TDP-led NDA alliance, certain politically affiliated individuals and anonymous digital handles have been circulating sexually coloured, vulgar, and defamatory content, directly targeting me, former Minister RK Roja, and even the wife and daughters of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.”
“These posts include offensive memes, vulgar insinuations, and defamatory commentary that pose humiliating and degrading questions such as ‘Are these ladies sex workers?’, accompanied by our photographs,” she added.
She further claimed, “Much of this targeted abuse seems to have started after a debate aired on ABN Telugu TV, using the hashtag #AmaravathiPaiVisham. The debate discussed some allegations about guest house constructions in Amaravati and raised questions about the public roles of YSR Congress Party leaders, including myself.”
Allegedly, a panellist said the following during the debate on 7 June on ABN: “All these YSRCP members, including Roja and Vidadala Rajini, stayed in that same Amaravati region for years, by constructing guest houses. Even Jagan Mohan Reddy stayed there with such heavy barricades that no one knew what was going on inside. What was his wife doing there?, what was he doing? What were these women leaders doing for five years? Now they’re trying to blame the public for everything.”
In her complaint to both the NHRC and the NCW, Vidadala Rajini made five requests:
Rajini also revealed that she had already approached the state Women’s Commission.
“I respectfully submit that I have also approached the Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Women in parallel to this complaint. However, I must express my serious reservations regarding the Commission’s independence and impartiality. In my considered view, the Commission—being constituted by the State government and comprising members who are either nominated by or closely aligned with the ruling political party—suffers from an inherent structural bias,” she held.
“This raises legitimate concerns about its ability to function as an autonomous and neutral body, particularly in politically sensitive cases involving gender-based injustice. In light of this perceived lack of institutional independence, I did not find it to be a suitable or reliable forum to seek redress for violations that involve both political victimisation and infringements of women’s rights,” she further alleged.
News analyst VVR Krishnam Raju, the prime accused (A1) in a case involving derogatory comments against women residing in the Amaravati region during a televised debate, was arrested on Wednesday, 11 June.
The arrest came amid escalating public outrage and widespread protests across Andhra Pradesh, following his inflammatory remarks during the “KSR Live Show” on Sakshi TV on 6 June.
The show’s anchor, Kommineni Srinivasa Rao (KSR), was earlier arrested on Monday, 9 June, from his residence in Hyderabad’s Journalists Colony. He was subsequently produced before a court in Mangalagiri, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. However, on Friday, 13 June, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Subsequently, the NHRC also filed a case against Sakshi TV following a complaint from TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu on 8 June.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
