After Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was injured in a suspected stone attack during an election campaign in Vijayawada on April 13, leaders from across the nation condemned the attack, and wished him a fast recovery.
“I pray for the speedy recovery and good health of Andhra Pradesh CM @ysjagan Garu,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Jagan’s political rival, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu condemned the attack and called for an impartial inquiry by the Election Commission of India.
However, Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, and the party’s social media account, alleged that the stone attack was a “drama” orchestrated by the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) ahead of the Assembly polls. They said that the incident was similar to the 2018 incident before the previous election, when Jagan was injured in an attack with a ‘kodi katti’ or knife used in rooster fights, at the Visakhapatnam airport.
On Saturday, April 13, the YSRCP chief sustained an injury on his left eyebrow after being hit by a stone. Doctors immediately provided first aid to him on the bus. As part of ‘Memantha Siddham Yatra’, the Chief Minister was standing on a special campaign bus to greet people.
YSRCP MLA Vellampalli Srinivas, who was standing next to Jagan, sustained an injury in his left eye. The incident occurred at Singh Nagar Dhaba Kotla Centre when the YSRCP Chief was campaigning for his party’s candidates for next month’s Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. YSRCP has blamed TDP for the incident.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin also condemned the attack and said, “Political differences should never escalate to violence. Let's uphold civility and mutual respect as we engage in the democratic process.”
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said she was shocked by the attack and wished Jagan a speedy recovery.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and Telangana MLA KT Rama Rao also condemned the attack and said, “Violence has no place in democracy and I hope strict preventive measures are put in place by ECI.”
Following the attack, Jagan resumed the bus yatra after receving first aid. He was then taken to the Vijayawada Government General Hospital, where doctors stitched the wound. With doctors advising rest, YSRCP has announced a break on the bus yatra on April 14.