HYDERABAD: Upset over derogatory online posts about him and his family members, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday warned individuals “posing as journalists and posting offensive and abusive content” about public representatives that they would be “stripped and paraded in public”.
Replying to queries raised by members in the assembly on the motion of thanks to the governor’s address, he said a law could be passed to stop vicious campaigns online. He said the time had come to define “who is a journalist”.
“Let media organisations, their associations, I&PR and other authorised agencies define a journalist, list out their names and give them to govt. They can be exempted. Others will be treated as criminals and action will be taken as per law,” he added.

If you cross line, results can be dire: Revanth to KCR

Even as BRS boycotted his speech, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy lashed out at the opposition party, blaming it for the abusive posts against his family. “They (BRS) condemned the arrest of two women journalists recently, who had posted derogatory and abusive language about my family members and me. I have been patient, but how long should I be tolerant when bad language has been used in social media posts against the women in my family?” he asked.
The CM said that his “blood is boiling” over the language used against his family’s women members, and asked if BRS netas would keep quiet if abusive words were used for their mothers, sisters and wives. “I will have them (people who put up such posts) stripped and paraded because they have no right to comment on women in my family,” a visibly angry Revanth said.
Using the choicest abuses in Telugu, a farmer was heard saying in a video on a local YouTube news channel that he would beat up Revanth’s family members and Congress functionaries for failing to keep their election promises. A case was registered on March 10, and two women running the YouTube channel were arrested on March 12. Police later accused the women of shooting the video inside BRS office.
“They (BRS) brought paid artists to their party office, recorded it and posted it on social media. Now, they are upset because police cases have been registered against the two women,” Revanth said.
Addressing opposition leader & ex-CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, Revanth said: “Do not be under the impression that you can derive political mileage by hurting us psychologically. If you cross the line, the consequences will be dire. I am being tolerant and stopping the youth, or else they would hit the roads, strip you all before beating you black and blue.”