Amaravati: A controversial placard bearing the slogan “Rapa Rapa Narukutham”—which roughly translates to “We’ll chop heads one by one”—triggered a political storm during YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to Palnadu on Thursday. The phrase, evocative of symbolic beheadings during the Gangamma Jatara festival, was reportedly displayed by a supporter during Jagan’s public event.
The slogan quickly drew widespread criticism, with many calling it provocative and inciting violence. Police have since registered a case against the individual and launched an investigation into the incident.
At a press conference on Friday, YS Jagan responded to the controversy, questioning the backlash. “Is it wrong to hold a placard with a dialogue from Allu Arjun’s movie Pushpa?” he asked, referring to the viral line that inspired the slogan.
Jagan further claimed that the individual holding the placard was not affiliated with his party. “It turns out that the person is actually a member of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP),” he said, alleging that the act may have been a deliberate attempt to discredit the YSRCP. “Perhaps he couldn’t bear the misdeeds of his own party’s leader, Chandrababu, and wanted to protest in his own way,” Jagan added sarcastically.
The incident came just a day after Jagan accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to disrupt his meeting with tobacco farmers in Podili, Prakasam district.
“I came to support distressed tobacco farmers who’ve been denied fair prices. Over 40,000 people joined the event in solidarity,” Jagan said in a post on X. He alleged that around 40 TDP workers tried to disrupt the gathering by throwing stones along his route.
“Despite provocations and assaults by TDP goons, the farmers and public maintained restraint,” he added, praising the crowd for avoiding escalation.
The placard controversy has added fresh fuel to the already heated political atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh, as rival parties trade accusations ahead of key political events.
