YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of using the police “to curb dissent, suppress opposition voices and curtail free speech.”

In a social media post, the former Chief Minister alleged that the Freedom of Speech guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution was being subjected to a “dangerous, systematic, and deeply disturbing assault” under the NDA government led by Mr. Naidu.

He alleged that the police machinery was increasingly being used as a political tool to create an atmosphere of fear among citizens who dared to question the government. He also alleged a systematic campaign of political vendetta, intimidation, and institutional misuse of power against social media activists, YSRCP supporters, journalists, and citizens who mustered the courage to expose the “failures, hypocrisy, corruption, and anti-people governance.”

“The modus operandi is clear. The TDP leaders and their supporters file politically motivated complaints against social media posts that question the government or criticise its leaders, and the police immediately register cases by invoking questionable legal provisions and file false and fabricated FIRs,” the YSRCP president alleged.

“The misuse of power does not stop there. The Police Department itself is allegedly sending notices to the social media platforms, including X, asking them to remove content critical of TDP leaders and seeking the blocking or suspension of accounts that expose government failures,” he alleged.

Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said this coordinated censorship campaign demonstrated how the government was using the department as its political enforcement machinery.

“These coercive steps expose the vindictive and authoritarian mindset of the government,” he said, demanding that the government should immediately stop abusing police power.