In a democracy, it is quite common for opposition parties to try and gain political mileage by launching attacks on the ruling party.
While political criticism can sometimes be exaggerated, there is generally a line that is not crossed.
The YSR Congress Party regularly criticizes the ruling Telugu Desam Party, with its leaders frequently holding press conferences and issuing statements against the Chandrababu Naidu government on various issues.
Sakshi, the media outlet owned by YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family, consistently publishes negative stories about the Naidu government in an attempt to damage the ruling party’s image and benefit Jagan politically.
However, Sakshi often publishes reports that appear to be driven more by a desire to criticize than by verified facts. In doing so, the newspaper is slowly eroding its own credibility.
On Thursday, Sakshi published a report accusing people associated with State IT Minister Nara Lokesh — Naidu’s son — of demanding bribes in exchange for arranging appointments.
The article claimed that individuals managing Lokesh’s schedule were collecting money from industrialists in return for meetings with him. It went so far as to allege that Lokesh himself was receiving a share of the bribes.
According to the report, a former correspondent from a pro-TDP media house in Guntur and Lokesh’s personal assistant allegedly collected Rs 5 lakh from each of eight industrialists — amounting to Rs 40 lakh — to secure appointments.
It also claimed that when the minister was unavailable, a confrontation occurred between the PA and those who had paid.
The article further alleged that these collections were made with Lokesh’s consent, and that rumors were circulating about his involvement.
While it may be possible that intermediaries are demanding money from businessmen seeking favors, directly linking such actions to a minister without solid proof is reckless and undermines journalistic ethics.
Stories like these reveal more about Sakshi’s bias than any genuine wrongdoing. Ironically, even some YSRCP insiders are reportedly saying that such allegations only invite comparisons with similar “appointment rackets” that were said to have existed during Jagan’s tenure.