After Ambati, Jogi Ramesh Targeted: YSRCP Leader’s House Set on Fire as Political Violence Escalates in AP

Vijayawada/Kochi: A mob allegedly comprising Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists vandalised and set fire to the residence of senior Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former minister Jogi Ramesh in Ibrahimpatnam on Sunday (February 1).

The incident, which occurred on the outskirts of Vijayawada in the NTR district, took place just 24 hours after a similar attack on the residence of another YSRCP leader, Ambati Rambabu. Police officials stated that the attack was reportedly a retaliation to "objectionable remarks" Ramesh had made against Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and IT minister Nara Lokesh.

The incident

According to police sources and eyewitness accounts, a large group of individuals gathered outside Ramesh’s residence on Sunday afternoon. The situation escalated rapidly as the mob began shouting slogans and forcibly removing flex banners installed at the entrance.

The gathered group subsequently breached the compound wall and entered the premises. They allegedly pelted stones, shattering windowpanes, and ransacked the house and destroyed furniture. The violence culminated in arson, with the mob using petrol bombs to set the property ablaze. The fire primarily engulfed the furniture and the upper floor of the building.

Ramesh was was reportedly in Kurnool at the time of the attack. However, his family members, including his wife, son, and elderly father, were inside the house during the siege. Police personnel intervened to rescue them and moved them to safety.

Police action

By Monday, the Ibrahimpatnam police had registered two separate cases – one against the alleged attackers and the other against Ramesh.

The first case has been registered against the unidentified persons who constituted the mob. Charges include public nuisance, illegal assembly and sections related to arson and trespassing. While YSRCP leaders have alleged the specific use of petrol bombs, police are currently verifying forensic evidence to determine if charges under explosive substances acts will be added. The police are also reviewing video footage to identify the perpetrators. However, reports indicate that while cases have been registered, arrests have not yet been made.

Simultaneously, the police have registered a case against Ramesh. Acting on a complaint by a local TDP leader, the police booked the former minister for allegedly making "objectionable and derogatory remarks" against Naidu and Lokesh, which, the complainants claim, incited public unrest.

The trigger

The political atmosphere in the state has been volatile since a press conference held by Ramesh on Saturday (January 31). During the interaction, he criticised the arrest of his colleague, Rambabu, and directed personal comments at Lokesh.

Specifically, the TDP alleges that Ramesh used the phrase, "Lokesh ki kovvu thaggindi, chip dobbindi" (Lokesh has lost his arrogance, and his [brain] chip is damaged), mocking the minister’s intellect. Furthermore, reports indicate that Ramesh allegedly threatened to have the minister "beaten like a mad dog on the road," preceded by the warning, "Stop these childish acts, Lokesh." This specific imagery is cited by the TDP as the primary provocation for the "spontaneous outburst" of their cadre.

The context

A significant portion of Ramesh's recent rhetoric, which the TDP termed "filthy," relied on the recent findings regarding the Tirupati Laddu controversy.

The YSRCP leader had referred to the ruling party as "adulterated," basing his claim on the final chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) on January 23, 2026. 

As reported by The Wire, the SIT investigation concluded that while the ghee supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was adulterated with vegetable oils and chemical esters to mimic dairy parameters, it did not contain animal fat or beef tallow.

According to the chargesheet, the primary supplier, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy in Uttarakhand, operated a "virtual" manufacturing unit that procured "zero litres of milk" yet supplied 68 lakh kg of ghee valued at Rs 250 crore. The investigation revealed that the adulteration involved a mix of palm oil and Acetic Acid Esters to defeat quality control tests, rather than animal byproducts.

The investigation also uncovered a "recycling" operation where rejected ghee tankers were re-refined at a stone-crushing unit and re-supplied to the temple. Despite these findings, Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan has maintained his stance, arguing that the industrial scale of the fraud validates his demand for a "Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board."

Ramesh argued that the SIT findings debunked Naidu’s earlier claims from 2024 regarding the presence of beef tallow. He questioned why cases were not being filed against those who spread "false propaganda," noting that the CBI SIT charge sheet found no animal fat, beef tallow, or lard.

Contrary to the CBI's findings, Nara Lokesh reiterated his father's prior claim that the final chargesheet, specifically on "Page 35," confirms the use of animal fat in the laddu offerings at the Tirupati temple. Lokesh’s assertion appears to rely on a misinterpretation of the chargesheet’s structure. Page 35, cited by him, falls under the section detailing ‘Brief Facts’ – a summary of the initial allegations and preliminary complaints filed in July 2024. This section outlines the suspicions that triggered the probe, not the scientific conclusions reached after the investigation.

‘State-sponsored conspiracy’

Speaking to the media in Tirupati on Sunday alongside former Deputy chief minister K. Narayanaswamy and former MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, Ramesh alleged that the attack was a "deliberate conspiracy" to silence opposition voices.

"They want to finish me off... Is this democracy?" Ramesh asked. He accused the police of remaining "mere spectators" while his house burned and alleged that a "ganja batch" (drug gangs) had been hired to carry out the attack.

"When we take government failures, corruption and anti-people policies to the public, the ruling leadership reacts with physical attacks," Ramesh stated. He questioned whether raising objections to misinformation was a crime. Warning that those responsible will be held accountable, he explicitly demanded Naidu’s resignation over law and order failure. He further alleged that leaders from backward communities are being targeted with false cases, citing his own prior imprisonment as an attempt to force him to abandon the YSRCP.

Opposition demands president’s rule

The attack has drawn sharp condemnation from the YSRCP high command. Former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy described the incident as a clear sign of "Jungle Raj" in Andhra Pradesh.

Writing on the social media platform X,  Jagan stated: "The government, unable to tolerate questioning – especially when proven wrong by central government laboratories like NDDB and NDRI – responded by setting fire to the houses of opposition leaders. By lighting those fires, the government has set fire to itself." He added that public anger is rising and that "those who incite violence will eventually face its consequences."

Multiple YSRCP leaders echoed these sentiments across Tadepalli, Machilipatnam, and Rajahmundry. Former minister Perni Nani demanded the immediate imposition of President’s Rule, alleging a complete collapse of law and order. "State-sponsored violence is unfolding under the direct instructions of the chief minister," Nani alleged, citing the back-to-back attacks on  Rambabu and Ramesh, as well as incidents involving former minister Vidadala Rajini. Nani also criticised the DGP and intelligence leadership for weakening the police system.

Former minister Vellampalli Srinivas compared the situation to "Bihar-style jungle rule" and claimed that media personnel covering the incidents were also attacked. Former MP Bharat described the attacks as an "assault on democracy itself," while YSRCP leader Pothina Venkata Mahesh alleged that Kapu and Backward Class (BC) leaders were being targeted through a planned campaign.

TDP's response

The Telugu Desam Party has denied allegations of a planned conspiracy or "state-sponsored terror." Party spokespersons maintained that the incident was a reaction from the public and party workers who were "deeply hurt" by the abusive language  Ramesh used against the democratically elected Chief Minister and the IT Minister.

"We established the rule of law in 2024," Naidu stated on X in a broader address regarding the political climate. "Criminal politics has been YSRCP's ideology. Even in opposition, they are resorting to abuse out of desperation." The TDP has shifted its narrative regarding the laddu issue from "sacrilege by beef" to "sacrilege by fraud," with spokespersons calling the use of synthetic sludge a "sin" and "criminal negligence" by the previous regime.

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