Naidu calls for 'controlling' derogatory comments online as Andhra police detain YSRCP man

“Some people are behaving in a disrespectful manner on social media. We should control it," he was quoted as saying.
Naidu calls for 'controlling' derogatory comments online as Andhra police detain YSRCP man
Naidu calls for 'controlling' derogatory comments online as Andhra police detain YSRCP man
Written by:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is also seemingly irked with derogatory posts on social media against the ruling TDP in the state. 

Speaking at a programme near Vijayawada on Friday, the Chief Minister reportedly said, “Since mainstream media is not entertaining their opinions, some people are going to social media and behaving in a disrespectful manner. We should control it and will go ahead with an organised plan."

Naidu made this statement on the same day that the Andhra police detained a man from his house in Hyderabad's Shamshabad area early on Thursday morning.

The police took Inturi Ravikiran, who runs a Facebook page titled "Political Punch", in for questioning after he uploaded an offensive post on social media.

According to reports, the post which got Ravikiran into trouble, showed Naidu's son and Andhra Minister, Nara Lokesh, asking his father to send him to “Peddala Sabha” (Upper House), while a banner of a kissing couple placed in front of the state’s new Legislative Council building, said that it was for “adults only”.

The Facebook page was also known to regularly mock Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his son, Nara Lokesh. 

The page has more than 90,000 likes on Facebook, and is popular among critics of Naidu and the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The page had especially upped the ante ever since Lokesh's elevation in the party and in politics, first becoming an MLC and then the Minister for Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and IT.

This incident also comes less than a week after reports emerged that Nara Lokesh was irked by 'growing criticism' of the TDP and the Andhra government on social media.

 According to a PTI report, Lokesh had asked TDP leaders to initiate criminal action against those "tarnishing our image".

"The (mainstream) media is favourable to us but we have no control over the social media and there is a lot of negative propaganda against us. We have to curb this... If we start taking criminal action against those making critical posts, it will be a deterrent to others," Lokesh was quoted as saying.

Lokesh’s comments followed many social media posts that had mocked the politician over his fumbles in public, and the wide circulation of such videos.

Interestingly, Ravikiran's wife claimed that her husband worked at the 'YSRCP party office' in Hyderabad, while other reports suggested that he was part of the Opposition party's social media team.

This has also set off speculation on whether the TDP might take action against the YSRCP for the 'defamatory' posts.

While some condemned the incident, many also pointed out that several posts on the Facebook page were insensitive, and in bad taste.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com