Haritha Reddy, the wife of Andhra Pradesh minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy has become the point of controversy after reprimanding a police officer for being late while the couple was going for an event on Monday in Annamayya district.
A video was taken of the heated conversation reddy had with the concerned cop and it has gone viral on social media leading to backlash from public and opposition in the state.
AP Minister's Wife Reprimands Cop: What Happened?
Reportedly the couple was visiting an event that involved distribution of pension to beneficiaries of 'NTR Bharosa' that CM Chandrababu Naidu launched on Monday and they had to wait for 30 minutes for a local sub-inspector to arrive.
The constables present there advised them to wait for Sub-inspector Ramesh Babu for security purposes as they were about to pass through sensitive areas.
As the sub-inspectorarrived, Haritha Reddy was heard shouting at him as she said, "Has it dawned on you? Do you know what time we arrived?" Ramesh Babu reportedly tried to explain that he got stuck at a conference and Reddy hit back at him saying, ""What conference? Do you have a conference that even the circle inspector doesn't have? Did you think you were attending a wedding? Don't you know your duty hours?" Not just that reportedly Reddy also added, "Who pays your salary? Government or YSRCP?"
As Ramesh Babu kept apologising for the delay, Reddy continued to scold him, "Sorry for what? What mistake? Isn't the government paying your salary? Are YSRCP members providing you any benefits? Are you on duty or not? We've been waiting for you for half an hour."
Towards the end of the video, the sub-inspector saluted Haritha Reddy and then proceeded forward as she instructed him to lead the convoy.
How Did YSRCP Respond?
The YSR Congress Party in a post on X shared the widely circulated video of Haritha Reddy's reprimand and condemned the behaviour.
They wrote in the caption, "The treatment of SI Ramesh by Haritha Reddy is a disgrace and it shows the amount of head power that @JaiTDP leaders have towards public servants. As the wife of a minister, she should uphold the values of respect and dignity towards our police force. Such behavior undermines public trust!"
In another post in Telegu, they wrote, "The minister's wife also wants royal etiquette. Minister Ramprasad Reddy's wife, Rubabu, asked the police to come as her escort in Rayachoti. The minister's wife, who gave the warning by looking at the police, as slaves. The panicked police... Salutations to her in a helpless state."
Minister Apologises For Wife's Behavior After CM Naidu Condemns It
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his discontent towards the incident after the Opposition YSRCP criticized the behavior of the minister's wife.
Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy then reportedly apologized for his wife's actions. "This should not have happened and I regret it. I apologise and my wife has also apologised. This will not happen again," Reddy stated. Haritha Reddy has not publicly apologized yet.
TDP leader D Narendra told Indian Express, “The CM asked everyone not do anything that reflects poorly on the TDP Government and such incidents will not be tolerated."
“It is embarrassing when people start asking what is the difference between arrogant YSRCP leaders and TDP,” he added.
