The opposition YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday refuted the allegations made by the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition that it was funding the controversial YouTuber B Joseph alias “Prashna” Ravan.
YSRCP leader and former minister Kodali Nani dismissed the allegations, claiming that Prashna Ravan had, in fact, been sympathetic to the TDP in the past.
According to Nani, the YouTuber had consistently spoken in favour of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Minister Nara Lokesh, and actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna in the past.
He argued that this was precisely why no TDP leaders had filed complaints against Ravan earlier.
Nani alleged that the TDP's social media ecosystem and what he described as the "yellow media" were now attempting to portray Ravan as a YSRCP supporter through misinformation.
He pointed out that Ravan had repeatedly criticised the previous YSRCP government, yet no criminal cases were registered against him during the party's tenure in power.
According to Nani, YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and party leaders tolerated Ravan's criticism both when they were in government and after moving into the opposition.
He alleged that the present coalition government, frustrated after courts repeatedly granted bail to Ravan, had resorted to invoking new legal provisions to keep him behind bars.
Accusing the NDA government of attempting to silence dissent, Nani said the administration was using harsh laws against anyone who questioned those in power.
He maintained that Ravan's arrest was solely because he had criticised deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan over the past year.
He further alleged that while leaders of the Jana Sena Party had actively filed complaints and staged protests against Ravan, TDP leaders had not participated in such campaigns.
Nani also launched a sharp attack on the TDP, claiming the party had developed a reputation for targeting political opponents through the police.
Responding to criticism that branded the YSRCP as a "goddali party” (party of violence), Nani remarked that the political fortunes of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu were nearing an end.
YSRCP leader Nagarjuna Yadav similarly asserted that Prashna Ravan had no connection with the party.
However, he said it was the responsibility of the opposition to question the government if anti-terror legislation such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was allegedly invoked against a YouTuber through abuse of power.
Clarifying the party's position, Yadav said the YSRCP was not endorsing Ravan's statements but was objecting to the selective application of the law.
He stressed that legal provisions should be applied uniformly to everyone and warned against using criminal laws to target individuals in a democracy, emphasising that all citizens must be treated equally before the law.
