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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday compared his rival Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, as he slammed him over the the state of law and order and the alleged drug menace during the previous YSRCP regime.
Releasing a white paper on law and order and the ganja (marijuana) prevalence in the state, Naidu claimed that he never saw such a situation like how it was when Reddy, the YSRCP chief, ruled during the past five years.
"Only one person can be compared to what happened in Andhra, and it is Pablo Escobar," he said in the assembly, indicating to alleged drug menace in the state.
The CM further said that Escobar was a drug lord who illegally sold drugs worth billions of dollars and also went on to kill leaders and politicians who opposed him.
With the 'Medellin Cartel' that he founded, Naidu said Escobar had established a corridor to sell drugs and allegedly earned up to $90 billion.
According to the CM, Escobar had emerged as the richest drug lord in the world and likened him to the opposition leader.
"One can become the richest person by selling drugs also. You can become so by doing business, but what was the intention of the former CM? He thought Tata, Reliance and Adani-like people had money and how can I (Reddy) earn more than them," said Naidu.
Calling Escobar a "narco-terrorist", Naidu alleged that a similar situation had emerged in Andhra Pradesh under the YSRCP regime (2019-24) when ganja was allegedly freely available.
The CM alleged that the state had emerged as ganja capital between 2019 and 2024. The drug menace has penetrated deeply into society, bringing national infamy to Andhra Pradesh, Naidu said, vowing to crack down on it.
Elaborating on the law-and-order situation, the CM alleged that the erstwhile YSRCP government had "terrorised" the state between 2019 and 2024 by cracking down on opposition parties, the general public and other sections with vendetta politics.
He alleged that the YSRCP government had troubled people using the police force as a "torture tool" and sidelined officials who did not cooperate.
"The first and foremost thing that any government should do in a democracy is to give assurance (to protect) the lives and assets of people, including the protection of women, but it is very sad that this kind of uncivilised things could happen in a civilised world," Naidu said.
According to the TDP supremo, 2,560 cases were allegedly registered against party leaders and activists, which included criminal cases invoking stringent laws such as the SC & ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and others.
When Naidu asked the legislators from the ruling coalition how many were booked in cases under the YSRCP regime, a majority of them stood up in the House. He also asked how many were not booked in cases. Only a few stood up.
Further, the chief minister said that 17 cases were allegedly registered against him and that he was restrained from visiting the victims of the LG Polymers industrial accident in Vizag and attending several other political programmes.
Emphasising the alleged attacks on TDP offices in Mangalagiri and Gannavaram, and also the Janasena office in Tekkali, Naidu said opposition parties were targeted by promulgating a government order (GO No 1).
The chief minister said 10,377 crimes occurred against SC communities, which included 192 murders and 108 abductions, while ST communities allegedly endured 1,768 crimes against them.
He noted that nearly 90,000 crimes were committed against women, which includes 2,027 murders, 2,850 kidnappings, 42,984 harassment cases and others.
Observing that the law and order was better under the TDP government between 2014 and 2019, Naidu alleged that 8,641 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases were booked in the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime.
Further, he asserted that minorities and farmers in Amaravati and temples were allegedly attacked during the YSRCP government.
He also citied election-related violence cases during the 2024 polls, which rose from 1,072 in 2019 to 1,633.
Naidu said he will cleanse the system by ushering in changes in police behaviour, creating awareness on new criminal laws, holding public deliberations, deploying advanced technology to fight crime and instilling fear in the minds of criminals.
Further, he noted that social media will also be monitored, as he promised to crack down on atrocities against women, among his other initiatives.
Meanwhile, YSRCP leaders have not reacted to Naidu's allegations about law-and-order issues and the drug menace.