Andhra Pradesh's Drug Menace: Naidu Draws Parallels with Pablo Escobar Era

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sharply criticized the law and order situation under YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, comparing it to the reign of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He released a white paper alleging increased drug prevalence, likening the state to a 'ganja capital'.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday compared YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, as he condemned the state of law and order and the alleged drug menace over the past five years.

Releasing a white paper on law and order and ganja (marijuana) prevalence, Naidu asserted that he had never encountered such a dire situation akin to the period of Reddy's rule.

''Only one person can be compared to what happened in Andhra, and it is Pablo Escobar,'' Naidu declared in the Assembly, referencing the rising drug issues.

He elaborated that Escobar was a drug lord who sold drugs worth billions of dollars and murdered leaders and politicians who opposed him.

Describing Escobar as a ''narco-terrorist'', Naidu alleged that a similar environment had emerged in Andhra Pradesh under the YSRCP regime (2019-24), claiming that ganja was freely available.

He further alleged that the southern state had become the 'ganja capital' between 2019 and 2024 and pledged to combat the issue.