YSRCP Leaders Accuse Chandrababu Naidu of ‘Family Politics’ and Opportunism

Hyderabad, April 2026 : The political war of words between the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) intensified on Monday, with senior YSRCP leaders accusing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh of indulging in divisive and opportunistic politics.

YSRCP general secretary N. Lakshmi Parvathi launched a sharp attack on Chandrababu Naidu, alleging that he is attempting to create a rift within the family of former Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Drawing parallels with the past, she claimed that Naidu had earlier engineered divisions within the family of Telugu Desam Party founder N. T. Rama Rao (NTR), and is now employing similar tactics against the YSR family.

Lakshmi Parvathi, who is also the second wife of NTR, accused Chandrababu Naidu of having entered politics through “backdoor means” and eventually taking control of both the TDP and power from NTR. She further alleged that Naidu has never independently secured a political mandate, questioning his leadership credentials.

Targeting Nara Lokesh, she criticised the Andhra Pradesh minister for what she described as a lack of competence and experience. According to her, Lokesh harbours high political ambitions without possessing adequate knowledge or administrative capability, and is being promoted undeservedly within the party.

The former MLA also contrasted the governance approaches of the YSRCP and the TDP, particularly on women-centric policies. She asserted that under Jagan Mohan Reddy’s leadership, women’s empowerment was given priority, citing measures such as 50 percent reservation for women. In contrast, she alleged that the TDP government had failed women through inconsistent policies related to self-help groups, pensions, and welfare schemes, including free bus travel.

On the issue of capital development, Lakshmi Parvathi criticised the Amaravati project, alleging that it was designed more for financial gains than public benefit. She instead supported the alternative regional development concept proposed by Jagan Mohan Reddy, referred to as MAVIGUN—encompassing Machilipatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur—which she described as more practical and balanced.

Echoing similar sentiments, YSRCP spokesperson and former MLA Rachamallu Siva Prasad Reddy took aim at Nara Lokesh over his recent public gesture of extending birthday wishes to Y. S. Vijayamma, the mother of Jagan Mohan Reddy. He questioned the timing and intent behind the gesture, calling it politically motivated rather than genuine.

Siva Prasad Reddy argued that Lokesh’s sudden expression of respect towards Vijayamma contrasts sharply with his past conduct, suggesting that it reflects opportunistic politics. He further alleged that while TDP leaders are now publicly praising Jagan’s mother and sister, they continue to target his wife, indicating what he described as a selective and unethical approach.

Highlighting past incidents, the YSRCP leader recalled that Vijayamma had allegedly faced humiliation during the previous TDP regime, including vehicle checks, and questioned the sincerity of the current outreach. He said such actions have not been forgotten by party workers and supporters of the YSR family.

He also raised questions about the selective nature of such greetings, asking whether similar gestures had been extended to the mothers of other political leaders, including those at the national level. According to him, this inconsistency exposes what he termed as hypocrisy in political conduct.

The YSRCP leaders collectively alleged that these developments point to a calculated strategy aimed at exploiting perceived differences within Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family for political advantage. They maintained that such tactics would not succeed in weakening the party’s base or its leadership.

As political tensions continue to rise in Andhra Pradesh, the exchange of allegations underscores the deepening rivalry between the ruling TDP and the opposition YSRCP, setting the stage for further confrontations in the run-up to future political battles.