Jagan speaks up for CJP leaders in judicial custody, draws BJP fire in Andhra

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has spoken up for Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the two Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders sent to five days of judicial custody for allegedly waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar. It is his first public comment on the nationwide protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.His post on X late on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) brought a sharp reply from the BJP in Andhra Pradesh. BJP leader and Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said people had been wrongly imprisoned for speaking against Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy when he was Chief Minister.Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote: “A proactive approach always yields better results than a reactive stance. The system has a flaw that needs to be corrected. Trust in the electoral process must be restored. The arrests of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka do not solve anything; it only aggravates the situation.” He said he empathised with the two.A proactive approach always yields better results than a reactive stance. The system has a flaw that needs to be corrected. Trust in the electoral process must be restored. The arrests of Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka do not solve anything; it only aggravates the situation. I empathise with @SauravDassss and @AshutoshRanka.— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) October 14, 2026CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy for “speaking out against the illegal arrest of Ashu and Saurav”.Thank you @ysjagan sir for speaking out against the illegal arrest of Ashu and Saurav.— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 15, 2026Vijay Mallangi, who leads the outfit in the south, called the post “a big and bold statement”. The CJP says the two were sent to custody for unfurling the national flag. Mr. Mallangi had earlier thanked BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao for speaking up for them.The words may sound simple, but this is a big and bold statement from @ysjagan garu. Thank you for standing in solidarity with @AshutoshRanka and @SauravDassss, who were sent to 5 days of judicial custody for unfurling the national flag 🇮🇳 in the national capital. Your support matters a lot. @abhijeet_dipke @Cockroachisback— Vijay Mallangi (@VijayMallangi) October 14, 2026Some users replying to Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s post have resurfaced a February 2023 thread by Mr. Das. In it Mr. Das wrote critically about an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case involving Bharathi Cement, a company in which, he said, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family holds a 49% stake.Bharathi Cement Corporation Private Ltd — in which Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's family holds 49% stake, and his wife, Y S Bharathi Reddy, is a Director — is facing an Enforcement Directorate case since 2016. 2/— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) February 14, 2023Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav replied on the same platform. “I was wondering when you would jump into this, because all the other losers were already involved,” he wrote.He asked which electoral process the YSRCP president meant. “The 2019 Assembly elections, in which you won 151 seats, and the Lok Sabha elections, in which you won 22 seats? Remember, the Central Govt and the Election Commission were the same at that time. So, when you win, everything is fine, but when you lose, the electoral process suddenly becomes bad?” he wrote.I was wondering when you would jump into this, because all the other losers were already involved. Now, coming to the point - what electoral process are you referring to? The 2019 Assembly elections, in which you won 151 seats, and the Lok Sabha elections, in which you won 22 seats? Remember, the Central Govt and the Election Commission were the same at that time. So, when you win, everything is fine, but when you lose, the electoral process suddenly becomes bad? Also, it's ironic that you're speaking against the detention of people who violated bail conditions and disrespected the judiciary, when under your rule, people were wrongly imprisoned just for speaking against you. Do you want me to make a list of those victims? @ysjagan— Satya Kumar Yadav (@satyakumar_y) October 15, 2026It was ironic, he said, that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was speaking against the detention of people who had violated bail conditions and disrespected the judiciary when, under his rule, people were wrongly imprisoned just for speaking against him. “Do you want me to make a list of those victims?” he asked.BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav, in a post in Telugu, said the CJP claimed to fight corruption but had joined hands with Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who faces Enforcement Directorate and CBI cases. He accused the YSRCP government of religious intolerance and of suppressing the Opposition. “The people of Andhra Pradesh have not forgotten the challenges faced by the opposition, the suppression of political freedom, the hardships endured by the public, and the rampant corruption that characterised the YSRCP’s rule. While peaceful protest is a democratic right, there is no place in a democracy for violence, stone-pelting, attacks on police personnel, misconduct toward women, or assaults on security staff. It is highly irresponsible for a former Chief Minister to distort the actions of law enforcement, who are merely upholding the law, to serve his own political interests,” he said.అవినీతి వ్యతిరేక పోరాటం, ప్రజాస్వామ్య పరిరక్షణ అంటూ నినాదాలు చేసే CJP… అవినీతి ఆరోపణలకు సంబంధించి ఈడీ, సీబీఐ కేసులను ఎదుర్కొంటున్న జగన్ తో చేతులు కలపడంతో అసలు అజెండా స్పష్టమవుతోంది! నాడు మత విద్వేషంతో తన పాలనలో రాష్ట్రంలో దేవాలయాల విధ్వంసం , రథ దగ్ధం , విగ్రహాల శిరచ్చేదాలను , దేవాలయాల ఆస్తుల ఆక్రమణలను , మత మార్పిడులను ప్రోత్సహించడంతో పాటు రాష్ట్ర ఆర్థిక వ్యవస్థను అస్తవ్యస్తం చేసిన జగన్ నేడు రాజకీయ లబ్ది కోసం దేశ విచ్చిన్నకర శక్తులతో చేతులు కలిపి తన నిజ స్వరూపాన్ని బట్టబయలు చేసారు ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లో YSRCP పాలనలో ప్రతిపక్షాల హక్కులు, రాజకీయ స్వేచ్ఛకు ఎదురైన సవాళ్లను, ప్రజలు పడిన ఇబ్బందులను, అవినీతి ఆరోపణలను రాష్ట్ర ప్రజలు మర్చిపోలేదు. శాంతియుత నిరసన ప్రజాస్వామ్య హక్కు. కాని, హింస, రాళ్లదాడులు, పోలీసులపై దాడులు, మహిళల పట్ల అనుచిత ప్రవర్తన, భద్రతా సిబ్బందిపై దాడులకు ప్రజాస్వామ్యంలో చోటులేదు. చట్టాన్ని అమలు చేసే పోలీసుల చర్యలను రాజకీయ ప్రయోజనాల కోసం వక్రీకరించడం మాజీ సీఎంకు బాధ్యతాయుతమైన వైఖరి కాదు. అవినీతి వ్యతిరేక పోరాటమని చెప్పుకునే CJP, అవినీతి కేసులను ఎదుర్కొంటున్న జగన్‌తో కలిసి పనిచేయడం వారి నినాదాలకు, ఆచరణకు మధ్య ఉన్న వైరుధ్యాన్ని స్పష్టం చేస్తోంది. ప్రజాస్వామ్యం పేరుతో దేశంలో అస్థిరత, విధ్వంసం సృష్టించేందుకు ప్రయత్నిస్తున్న శక్తులతో కలిసి జగన్ సాగిస్తున్న రాజకీయ ప్రయత్నాలను రాష్ట్ర ప్రజలు నిశితంగా గమనిస్తున్నారు. తగిన సమయంలో ప్రజాస్వామ్యబద్ధంగా తమ తీర్పును వెల్లడిస్తారు.— PVN Madhav (Modi Ka Parivar) (@MadhavBJP) October 15, 2026The YSRCP’s official X handle posted: “In a democracy, transparency must not only prevail. It must be seen to prevail!” The post tagged the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh and the Election Commission.In a democracy, transparency must not only prevail. It must be seen to prevail! @CEOAndhra @ECISVEEP https://t.co/FeWnrqOPyL— YSR Congress Party (@YSRCParty) October 15, 2026 Published - October 15, 2026 02:14 pm IST