For the past week, several cases have been filed against the YSRCP Member of Parliament (MP) Kanumuru Raghurama Krishnam Raju, by his own party members and leaders. On Monday, a fresh case was filed against the Narasapuram MP, this time, by another Member of Legislative Assembly, MLA Kottu Satyanarayana from Tadepalligudem mandal.
Totally, five cases have been filed against Raju over the past week.
YSRCP has been at odds with Raju, a Member of Parliament from their own party, for his remarks and statements, which, according to the party, do not toe its line. The leader has also been served a show-cause notice over his remarks against the state government policies since 2019.
The standoff between the party and Narasapuram MP Raju first surfaced in November 2019 when Raju spoke out against the Andhra Pradesh government's effort to convert Telugu medium government schools to English medium. Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had at the time warned the MP for his statement against the government policy and reportedly asked YV Subba Reddy, the YSRCP in-charge of East and West Godavari districts, to give the MP an ‘English class’, reported The New Indian Express.
Since then, the YSRCP MP has been outspoken against his party, often speaking in the media about allegations of a scam in the low-income housing projects of the Jagan government, issues on the auction of TTD lands and diversion of sand for sale in the black market, among others. The MP claimed he was never given an audience by Chief Minister YS Jagan to discuss these issues.
The breaking point came when the topic of caste-based politics within YSRCP was highlighted by the MP.
Raju had claimed that the YSRCP has a unique strategy of using leaders from one caste to target another leader of the same caste. “For instance, if they want to criticise Pawan Kalyan, they will make leaders of his community (Kapu) speak against him. To comment on BC (Backward Classes) leaders, they will make BC leaders speak. Now, in my case, my friend and Narasapuram MLA Prasada Raju is being made to speak against me,” Raju was quoted in an interview.
At the same interview, the leader also stated that the Narasaraopet MLA Mudunuri Prasada Raju was forced to criticise him as the YSRCP planned to use people from his own community against him. Prasada Raju has also filed a case against Raju alleging that the latter referred to him as a pig. Both MLA Prasada Raju and MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju belong to the Raju community.
The MP also went on to state that those from one particular caste were being given preferential treatment.
These remarks did not sit well with the YSRCP leaders. Several MLAs of the party submitted a petition to Lok Sabha Speaker OM Birla on July 4 to disqualify Raju for his alleged anti-party remarks. The MLAs had left for New Delhi in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic for this purpose.
In the days that followed, several cases were filed against Raju.
Bhimavaram MLA Granthi Srinivas filed a case against Raju, alleging the latter verbally abused him and other YSRCP MLAs. Srinivas had also alleged that the MP was trying to instigate caste-based groupism within the YSRCP.
The Housing Minister and senior YSRCP leader, Ch Sriranganah Raju filed another complaint against the MP at the Poduru police station. The minister demanded criminal prosecution against Raju for his alleged remarks on case-based politics within the YSRCP.
Karumuri Venkata Nageshwar Rao from Tanukgu assembly constituency also filed a case.
The YSRCP workers also staged a protest and burnt the effigies of Raju for his remarks against the party and Jagan on June 18. Shortly afterwards, Raju approached the Lok Sabha Speaker, seeking central force protection, by citing threat to his life. Raju had also approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court to prevent the YSRCP party from disqualifying him for the MP post.