Amaravati, Sep 16 (PTI) YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday accused the Andhra Pradesh Police Department of fraudulently identifying itself as the “FBI” to take down social media posts from the opposition party’s handle.
Holding Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accountable for the alleged impostor act by the police department, the former CM called it “state-sponsored deception aimed at politically motivated harassment.” “Fake identify, real threat to democracy… your (Naidu’s) police force identifying themselves as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation while seeking the removal of posts from X is the most deplorable act that tarnishes the reputation of our state and country,” the opposition leader said in a social media post.
Claiming that X has confirmed that the social media post takedown request originated from an official Andhra Pradesh Police email address and not from the US agency, Reddy asserted that “the officer named ‘FBI’ as the sender organisation.” Quizzing who ordered the takedown request and why FBI’s identity was allegedly “misused,” the YSRCP chief wondered whether it was a deliberate attempt to mislead the micro-blogging site and also allegedly “choke” the voices questioning the TDP-led NDA government on several issues.
He wondered if the government aimed to “silence” voices questioning issues such as alleged “unfulfilled super six and super seven promises (welfare promises), DSC scam (teacher recruitment), Amaravati looting, and state debt, governance failures and harassment.” “The police uniform is meant to protect the law, not to enforce your political censorship. Dragging the name of a foreign investigating agency into a political takedown operation has disgraced Andhra Pradesh and severely damaged the credibility of its police force,” he said.
The energy spent trying to allegedly muzzle critics should instead be directed towards fulfilling welfare promises, supporting farmers during these tough drought times, create real jobs, drive development, and address what actually matters to the people of Andhra Pradesh, he said.
Further, Reddy underscored that social media makes it impossible to hide behind “curated narratives.” “If this government is confident in its record, it should answer criticism with performance and transparency and not with censorship and harassment,” he added, sharing further details of the alleged takedown request.
There was no immediate reaction from the police department to Reddy’s charge.
Meanwhile, TDP spokesperson Deepak Reddy countered Reddy by saying that “outrage is easy but facts are harder,” observing that the social media giant X “did not say that FBI sent the takedown request.” “The X notice does not say that the FBI sent the request. It specifically says the request was submitted from an Andhra Pradesh Police email address. The issue shown in the notice is the Organization field being entered as FBI,” Deepak Reddy told PTI.
Calling this a deliberate “international-level conspiracy” goes beyond what the X notice establishes, he said that adding the notice itself says it was unclear why “FBI” was entered.
The real question is accountability, the TDP spokesperson said. He asked who submitted the request, who authorised it, why was “FBI” entered, and whether it was an error or an intentional act.
Those questions should be answered through an official inquiry rather than political speculation, said the ruling party leader.
If there was an unauthorised or misleading use of the FBI designation, the appropriate response is to identify the responsible officer and establish the facts, he said.
According to Deepak Reddy, political claims about censorship should not be presented as established facts unless the underlying legal request and its authorisation are independently verified.
But turning an officer’s “reported lapse” into “state-sponsored censorship” without establishing who authorised it is political theatre, not evidence, he argued.
Advising the YSRCP chief not to lecture on democratic freedoms, Deepak Reddy demanded him to produce evidence of political instructions in this case and place it before the public, instead of making allegations by a social media post.
“Where was accountability when your (erstwhile YSRCP) government faced allegations of suppressing dissent. Why were questions about governance answered through cases and confrontation,” he asked.
And why should people believe lectures on democracy from a former CM whose own record allegedly remains a “matter of public debate,” the ruling TDP leader asked.
The present government must answer for every action taken in its name, he said, underscoring that criticism is not a licence to manufacture conclusions.
FBI is not the issue that should decide Andhra Pradesh’s future, he said, underling that governance, jobs, farmers, development and delivery are, adding, “we will debate those issues with facts—not hashtags.” PTI STH SA
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