Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 21 : Andhra Pradesh former minister RK Roja criticized the state government for failing to protect women, citing rising incidents of rape and murder, and called on Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and Home Minister Anita to resign if they cannot ensure women's safety.
Speaking to the media in Nagiri, Roja highlighted that despite the frequent crimes against women, the state government continues to ignore these issues. She pointed out recent incidents, such as the brutal rape and murder of a young woman in Badvel and the attack on a woman in Tenali, who is now brain-dead. Despite these tragedies, CM Chandrababu flew to Hyderabad to attend a TV show recording with MLA Balakrishna instead of meeting the victims' families.
She also criticized Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan for his silence on the issue, questioning his previous promises to take strong action against criminals. Roja remarked that the TDP government was more focused on political vendettas, filing false cases against YSRCP leaders while using the police for personal gains instead of maintaining law and order.
Roja demanded that the government should immediately push for the implementation of the Disha Act for women's safety and restore women's police stations. She warned that if the government continues to neglect the safety of women, the public will respond by teaching them a lesson.
In addition to the points made by the former minister regarding women's safety, YSRCP leader TJR Sudhakar Babu, in a separate press conference in Tadepalli, emphasized several other critical concerns during his press conference.
He highlighted the government's failure to maintain law and order, specifically pointing out that CM Naidu had not taken any serious steps to control the increasing violence against women. He stressed that if the Disha app had been operational, many incidents could have been avoided, directly blaming the current administration for this lapse.
Sudhakar Babu also focused on the misuse of police forces for political revenge, accusing the government of intentionally targeting Dalit leaders in the YSRCP, such as through false cases against former MP Nandigam Suresh and Pinipe Viswaroop's son.
Additionally, he expressed disappointment over the government's complete disregard for women's safety, citing the lack of punishment in 74 incidents involving rapes and murders of women in the past four months. He argued that this neglect emboldens criminals and shows the government's indifference to the safety of vulnerable populations.