A political row has flared in Andhra Pradesh after a journalist described Amaravati as a “capital of sex workers” during a programme on Sakshi TV, owned by YSR Congress Party president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The remarks in question were made by journalist and political commentator VVR Krishnamraju.
Krishnamraju was on a Sakshi TV show on June 6 anchored by journalist Kommineni Srinivasa Rao. Krishnamraju said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and deputy CM Pawan Kalyan “keep calling Amaravati a capital of gods, but there are allegations today that it has turned into an abode of sex workers”. He added that Amaravati had turned into a “capital of sex workers”.
The backlash was swift.
A group of women farmers and representatives lodged a police complaint against Krishnamraju yesterday at the Mangalagiri Rural police station, calling his comments an “outrageous insult”.
K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, a TDP MLA and deputy speaker of the state assembly, lodged a formal complaint against Krishnamraju with the Director General of Police.
CM Chandrababu Naidu said there “can be no tolerance for the appalling comments” and condemned “this perverse trend being perpetuated under the cover of politics and media”.
Deputy CM and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan said that Krishna Raju’s remarks were an insult not just to women but also Buddhism that flourished in the Amaravati region. “The state government will take strict action against those who conspire against the state capital. The police will take legal action against those who make vile comments,” Kalyan said.
He insisted that Sakshi TV cannot get away by distancing itself from the comments after platforming them.
“There is an organised conspiracy behind the outrageous comments made by a person in the guise of an analyst and journalist on a certain channel about Amaravati. The public and the authorities should analyse this matter in depth. Do not see those words as comments made by an individual. There is a cunning attempt behind the discussion to insult and ridicule the capital region, the women living there, the historical background of this region, and the Buddhism that flourished there,” he said.
TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayuli tweeted that he had filed complaints with the NHRC, the Press Council of India, and the National Commission. He said the comments were “not only factually incorrect and defamatory but deeply humiliating to the women and culture of Andhra Pradesh”.
“The right to free speech cannot be weaponised to demean women, and we count on the Commission to ensure that women’s dignity is not sacrificed for TRPs,” he wrote.
Shocked by the derogatory remarks aired on Sakshi TV referring to Amaravati as the “Capital of Sex Workers.”
— Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (@SriKrishnaLavu) June 8, 2025
Such statements are a gross insult to women and our state’s dignity.
I’ve formally lodged a complaint with NHRC, NCW and PCI demanding strict action.#RespectWomen… pic.twitter.com/WjYbvzXcFM
State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife Bharathi Reddy, who heads the Sakshi Media Group, must apologise.
Sakshi TV and the YSRCP distanced themselves from Krishnamraju’s comments, saying they were made in an independent capacity. The news channel issued a statement saying it “always shows respect” to women.
కృష్ణంరాజు వ్యాఖ్యలను కూటమి నేతలు..
— Sakshi TV (@SakshiHDTV) June 8, 2025
సాక్షి టీవీకి ఆపాదించడం సరికాదు.
కూటమి నేతల వ్యాఖ్యలను తీవ్రంగా ఖండించిన సాక్షి టీవీ.
సాక్షి మీడియా మహిళల పట్ల ఎప్పుడూ గౌరవం చూపిస్తుంది.
కృష్ణంరాజు చేసిన కామెంట్స్ ను సాక్షి సమర్థించదు.
కృష్ణంరాజు వ్యాఖ్యలతో మాకు సంబంధంలేదు: వైఎస్సార్సీపీ. pic.twitter.com/mj70HuQRNn
Krishnamraju himself hastily backtracked and claimed he had been referencing the findings of a study by the National AIDS Council Organisation that said Andhra Pradesh has the second highest concentration of sex workers in India.
“I have seen that the issue is prevalent in the areas surrounding Amaravati. There are many NGOs in the region working for the welfare of sex workers and their children. I was calling on the government to address this issue,” Krishnamraju said.
This report was republished from The News Minute as part of the NL-TNM alliance. It has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
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