Jagan Seeks Judicial Probe into Lathi-Charge on Secretariat Staff in Vijayawada
Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy condemned the police action against protesting secretariat employees in Vijayawada and sought a judicial inquiry, an apology and withdrawal of suspensions.
YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has condemned the police lathi-charge on village and ward secretariat employees during their protest in Vijayawada and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.
In a statement posted on X, Mr. Reddy said force was used against employees, including women, who had gathered to press for the resolution of service-related demands. He questioned why the government chose to stop the employees from holding a dharna rather than hold discussions with them.
The former Chief Minister urged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to order a judicial inquiry into the police action, tender an apology to the employees and withdraw the suspensions imposed on them.
Mr. Reddy alleged that the government had not honoured its commitments on Interim Relief, the Pay Revision Commission, five pending instalments of Dearness Allowance and surrender leave. He claimed that dues owed to the employees amounted to nearly ₹40,000 crore.
He further accused the coalition government of weakening the village and ward secretariat system set up during the previous YSRCP government. The system, he said, was designed to deliver more than 540 government services at the village and ward level, and he alleged that rationalisation of the secretariats had put around 30,000 permanent jobs at risk.
According to Mr. Reddy, work previously handled by village and ward volunteers had been shifted to secretariat employees, subjecting them to excessive pressure. He claimed that nearly 100 employees had died over the past two-and-a-half years due to stress and suicides.
The YSRCP president said the government should address the employees' grievances through discussions instead of preventing them from exercising their right to protest. He assured the employees that a future YSRCP government would strengthen the secretariat system and improve service delivery, adding that the remaining two-and-a-half years of the present government's term would pass quickly and that their grievances would be addressed under a YSRCP government.