Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy has been under increasing attack from the Telugu Desam Party over atrocities on Dalits in his native Punganur assembly constituency. Nara Lokesh has commented that the Miniter’s followers were not even sparing the journalists and a journalist’s house was demolished in Chittoor district. There was no freedom of the press under the Jagan Reddy regime. Lokesh’s comment triggered debate once again on the suspicious death of Om Pratap who was found dead a few days after he made disparaging comments against CM Jaganmohan Reddy in a viral video.

All through these controversies, Minister Peddireddy kept his cool and silence but the moment Lokesh made a comment, the Minister made counter allegations and accusations. Peddireddy clarified that the journalist was attacked by a group of persons when he tried to mediate in a case in which a head master allegedly molested a minor girl. The Minister said that Lokesh was spreading lies and untruths without checking facts about what really happened in the field level.

Peddireddy became furious and went making accusations against the TDP. He called Lokesh being equally filled with poison like his father Chandrababu Naidu. Both their brains were bent on doing evil things. Peddireddy was considered the second most powerful person after Jaganmohan Reddy in the YCP Cabinet. As a result, he was coming under greater attacks following untoward incidents taking place in his segment.