YSRCP MP, who admitted Missionaries use money for conversion, claims threats to life

In a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju had alleged threats to his life from his party members. Raju who was elected from the Lok Sabha constituency of Narsapuram in Andhra Pradesh had also sought security from the Central Government. He has reportedly been a vocal critic of the current political dispensation in the State in recent times.

In his letter, the YSRCP MP had claimed that the local police did not take action on his complaints and thus demanded tighter security from the Centre. “One MLA has publicly abused me in filthy language and threatened to kill me. The YSRC cadre has also been issuing threats in the last few days. As the local police did not take any action against those people, I sought protection from the Lok Sabha Speaker,” Raju was quoted as saying.

Has been a vocal critic of the YSRCP government

Raju who was an industrialist prior to his stint in politics had earlier raised critical issues concerning the Andhra Pardesh government such as the sale of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) properties, corruption in the sand sale and house-site distribution. His actions had irked party legislators and supporters, leading to verbal confrontations. Raju who was earlier with the BJP had defected to YSRCP before the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Last week, he reportedly claimed that his election victory was not the result of the face value of State Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy.

YSRCP MP admits mass conversions in Andhra Pradesh

Last month, the YSRCP MP had made an explosive admission on a debate on Times Now where he admitted that the Christian missionaries in Andhra Pradesh were using money to carry out widespread religious conversions in the state. Raju asserted that the religious conversions in Andhra Pradesh were not a recent phenomenon after Jagan Mohan Reddy assumed the office of Chief Minister but that they continued to happen extensively across the state even before he became the chief minister. He also defended the rampant religious conversions in the state by claiming that such proselytisation has been prevalent across the country and is not limited to Andhra Pradesh alone.