Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Three years after his incarceration in the Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation (APSDC) scam, state Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that he was unwilling to ‘seek revenge’ on YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Describing his arrest as the most traumatic episode of his life, Naidu on Wednesday, September 9 said that he would not take revenge on YS Jagan by arresting him as “such an action would not benefit the people.” It was on the same day in 2023 that Naidu was arrested in the APSDC scam.
The CM was addressing a gathering at the Mee Bhumi, Mee Hakku programme in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district.
The statement gains political significance in light of the fact that several leaders of the YSRCP, including Parliamentarian PV Midhun Reddy, former MP Nandiagama Suresh, former Minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao and others, have been arrested since the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led NDA government won the state Assembly polls in June 2024 and came to power. Notably, Andhra has historically witnessed vendetta politics, with both the TDP and the YSRCP accusing each other of politically motivated arrests.
“The court scrapped the APSDC scandal case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) concluded that there was no case against me,” Chandrababu said, adding that the lack of a conviction was proof of his commitment to the state.
“I can arrest Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy within a minute. But I do not wish to create any disturbance in the state,” he added.
In a statement, Andhra Pradesh HRD Minister and Chandrababu’s son, Nara Lokesh, also said that the “truth prevailed in the skill development scam case” foisted by the YSRCP.
“The truth has won. Remembering those dark days from back then... I once again express my heartfelt gratitude to the Telugu community for their support,” Lokesh remarked.