YSRCP calls for nationwide protest against fuel price hike on 18

The YSRCP has called for nationwide protests on May 18 (Monday) against the hike in petrol and diesel prices.

Party state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, in a teleconference with party regional coordinators, district presidents, MLAs, parliamentary observers, constituency coordinators and associate wing leaders on Sunday, accused the state government of imposing additional burden on the public “despite the promise of reducing fuel prices”.

Fuel prices in Andhra Pradesh were the highest in the country, he said, adding that it had burdened farmers, transport operators, petty traders and middle-class families who were already struggling with the rising cost of living.

Mr. Reddy said that the increase in fuel prices will lead to an increase in the prices of basic commodities. He demanded that the ruling alliance fulfill the promises made by N. Chandrababu Naidu and N. Lokesh when YSRCP was in power.

On the orders of party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the party has decided to hold protests at the constituency headquarters. MLAs and Constituency Coordinators have been asked to submit memoranda to District Collectors, RDOs and MROs.

Mr. Reddy also reviewed the preparations related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and directed the party leaders to complete the appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at the earliest.

“Political Intimidation”

Meanwhile, the party’s Legal Cell president M. Manohar Reddy, in a statement, accused the government of misusing the police machinery and digital censorship mechanisms to stifle dissent, target opposition party voices and intimidate journalists and activists on social media.

He alleged that the NDA government was turning social media complaints into “tools of political intimidation”. Cases were registered over social media posts criticizing the government on issues that included Amaravati, governance failures and implementation of Super Six promises, he said.

Mr. Manohar Reddy alleged that the police are registering FIRs without conducting preliminary investigations and issuing notices to social media platforms to remove the content.

He cited the case of the party’s General Secretary (Media) Pudi Srihari, who alleged that he faced repeated arrests despite having no operational role in managing social media content. He also mentioned the arrest of social media activist Shajahan and the alleged harassment of YSRCP youth leader Balu from Kurnool.

Mr. Manohar Reddy demanded an immediate stop to “politically motivated” cases and misuse of police powers.

Published – 17 May 2026 19:36 IST