Journalist's arrest over derogatory term on TV show sparks a Jagan vs Chandrababu slugfest

The Print

4 days ago

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women issued a statement saying it has taken 'suo motu cognizance of media reports on alleged derogatory remarks made by journalist Krishnam Raju against Amaravati women during a TV debate'.
VVR Krishnam Raju, a journalist and political analyst, who made the offensive comment on Kommineni's show, on the Jagan Mohan Reddy family-owned Sakshi TV, is reportedly absconding, and the Andhra Pradesh police are looking to arrest him.
Hyderabad: Senior journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao has been sent to 14 days judicial custody by a Mangalagiri court for a derogatory term used on his TV debate show for women from the Amaravati capital region.
'Referring to Amaravati as a 'capital of prostitutes' is an outrageous insult to women farmers. NCW strongly condemns such unacceptable and inciting statements in public discourse,' the commission said on X Tuesday.
NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar wrote to Andhra Pradesh DGP Harish Gupta directing him for 'a swift and time-bound investigation, and strict action against Raju under relevant laws'. She has asked for an action-taken report within three days.
On the TV debate on Friday evening, Raju used the expression 'vaeshyala raajadhani' while objecting to CM Chandrababu Naidu and TDP's use of 'devathala raajadhani' (capital of goddesses), in reference to Amaravati, the AP capital.
When host Kommineni made a brief objection over such expressions in a TV debate, Raju defended his remarks, citing reports that said Andhra Pradesh has among the highest concentration of female sex workers in the country.
While several complaints were lodged against Raju and Kommineni at various places in AP, the state police arrested Kommineni from his residence at Journalists' Colony in Hyderabad on Monday morning, acting on a FIR based on a complaint by Kambhampati Sireesha, a TDP leader and an office bearer of the state Madiga Corporation.
Accused no 1 and 2, Raju and Kommineni, are booked under various sections of the BNS and the SC ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. A police team from Thulluru led by a DySP rank officer took the 68-year-old senior journalist into custody, shifted him to AP and produced him before a magistrate a day later.
Since Monday, Sakshi offices at places like Vijayawada were attacked and vandalised by TDP supporters, mainly women.
The TDP cadres' strong reactions followed that of the party leaders including supremo Chandrababu Naidu, who also vowed action on Raju and Kommineni.
On Saturday, minister Nara Lokesh posted on X a video clip of the debate on Sakshi TV, where Raju made the offensive remarks. Lokesh tagged Jagan and #YCPinsultsWomen.
'@ysjagan garu, how can you insult women so appallingly in your media house? The false propaganda with hatred against the self-esteem of mothers and against Amaravati is the height of your depravity! Amaravati is truly the capital of the divinities! Amaravati is the land of mothers who sacrificed their lands…' said Lokesh.
'Jagan should take responsibility'
On Sunday, Naidu issued a strong statement condemning the 'disgraceful remarks' made by Krishnam Raju 'on Sakshi TV, a channel owned by former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, targeting women in the Amaravati region and calling the capital city, a 'capital of prostitutes'.
'Ours is a culture that honours daughters. We belong to a society that reveres the feminine divine. This is our tradition—the essence of Indian life. Particularly among Telugu people, daughters and mothers are held in deep affection and high esteem. In such a state of ours, making disgraceful and vulgar remarks about our mothers and sisters under the guise of political vendetta or media analysis is an unforgivable offence,' said the CM on X on Sunday, sharing the video clip from the show.
Assuring that 'those who crossed all boundaries will face the strictest possible consequences,' Naidu said, 'there can be no tolerance for the appalling comments that demean the women of the capital region by likening them to prostitutes—an outright insult to their dignity. I strongly condemn this perverse trend being perpetuated under the cover of politics and media.'
The CM went on to criticise his predecessor Jagan 'for not taking responsibility'.
'It is even more distressing that a former chief minister, on whose own media channel these offensive statements were broadcast, has yet to denounce the act or apologise to women—a silence that is deeply troubling.'
Taking to X on Monday, after the Kommineni arrest, Jagan remarked, '…democratic voices, intellectuals, and journalists are being silenced through fear, intimidation, and blatant misuse of power under Naidu's anarchic regime'.
Jagan called the arrest 'an act of political vendetta'. He questioned the rationale of arresting a moderator for remarks he never made, simply for hosting a debate.
'In any discussion, diverse opinions are natural. Punishing an anchor for guests' statements is not only unjust, it's dangerous,' said the YSRCP chief.
Jagan also referred to some past controversial remarks by Chandrababu Naidu himself and his brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna. 'You once asked if a mother-in-law will ever object when a daughter-in-law says she will deliver a boy child. Your brother-in-law even said that when you see a girl, you should either kiss or make her pregnant.'
Jagan also accused Chandrababu of failing to provide safety and justice to women and girls since returning to power.
.@ncbn గారూ.. అనని మాటలను సీనియర్‌ జర్నలిస్టు కొమ్మినేని శ్రీనివాసరావుగారికి ఆపాదిస్తూ, వాటిని వక్రీకరించి విషప్రచారం చేసి, ఆయన్ను అరెస్టు చేయడమే కాకుండా సాక్షి యూనిట్‌ ఆఫీసులమీద ఒక పథకం ప్రకారం దాడులు చేయించారు. ఈ అరాచకానికి మహిళల గౌరవం అనే ముసుగు తొడిగి ఎక్కడికక్కడ విధ్వంసం…
— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) June 9, 2025
'In just one year of TDP rule, 188 women and girls were raped, and 15 of them were murdered after the assault. Hundreds of cases of harassment and violence have gone unpunished. This is your track record' Jagan said, calling it a complete breakdown of law and order in AP.
On Tuesday, YSRCP women's wing leaders like MLC Varadu Kalyani led protests in several places like Vijayawada, demanding the TDP-led NDA regime act to curb the alarming rise in rapes, atrocities on women, and the girl child in the state, 'instead of targeting journalists like Kommineni'.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Why CM Naidu wants Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act amended to insert the word Amaravati