Amaravati, April 6 (IANS) The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting against a Telugu news channel for allegedly broadcasting defamatory and derogatory content.

In a letter to the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, on Monday, YSRCP MLC and party general secretary Lella Appireddy sought immediate intervention and appropriate action against ABN Andhra Jyothi, its anchor, editor, and management for allegedly broadcasting defamatory, derogatory, misleading, and unethical content through its electronic and digital platforms.

“It is submitted that the said broadcast is a clear instance of abuse of media freedom, wherein the channel has indulged in dissemination of content that is false, unverified, malicious, and intended to malign the reputation of the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and the YSR Congress Party. The programme is not a fair journalistic exercise but a motivated and one-sided narrative presented with deliberate intent to create hatred, ridicule, and prejudice in the minds of viewers,” wrote the YSRCP leader.

The MLC cited allegedly objectionable and defamatory language used by the anchor while describing members and supporters of the YSR Congress Party.

The YSRCP quoted the anchor as saying that party supporters would “blindly believe” anything said by Jagan Mohan Reddy and used language the party described as abusive and derogatory.

He submitted that the broadcast contains repeated usage of expressions portraying the leadership and members of the party as lacking intelligence and rationality, referring to them in terms such as persons having no intellect or wisdom, and describing political positions as “insane” or “mad” proposals. The anchor has also allegedly depicted the leadership as a group of “mad persons”, which, the letter stated, demonstrates the reckless, abusive, and defamatory nature of the telecast.

Meanwhile, YSRCP state spokesperson Karumuri Venkata Reddy alleged that sections of the “yellow media”, particularly ABN Andhra Jyothi, are deliberately spreading misinformation to divert public attention from the growing support for Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s MAVIGUN (Machilipatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur) capital corridor proposal.

He claimed that the MAVIGUN corridor is gaining widespread acceptance as a practical, low-cost capital alternative with strong infrastructure advantages, including port access, national highways, railway junctions, and proximity to an international airport.

He noted that while Amaravati would require massive expenditure of around Rs 2 lakh crore to build basic infrastructure, the MAVIGUN region could be developed into a competitive urban hub at a fraction of that cost, making it a viable growth engine, as supported by economic experts.

–IANS

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