Andhra Pradesh: YS Sharmila meets cousin amid buzz of latter joining Cong
Sunitha is the daughter of slain former minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy, younger brother of Jagan’s father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR)
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cousin Dr Narreddy Sunitha Reddy on Monday met his sister and newly-appointed state Congress president Y S Sharmila Reddy, amid speculations that she might join the party, people familiar with the matter said.
Sunitha is the daughter of slain former minister Y S Vivekananda Reddy, younger brother of Jagan’s father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR). Her father was killed on March 15, 2019, a few weeks before the last assembly polls in the state.
Since Vivekananda Reddy’s murder, Sunitha has been fighting a legal battle to get justice in the case, in which some her family members, including YSR Congress Party MP from Kadapa Y S Avinash Reddy and his father Y S Bhaskar Reddy, were named as accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Monday morning, Sunitha called on Sharmila at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district, where the latter had arrived to address a meeting of the Congress workers later in the day. The meeting lasted two hours, after which both visited the samadhi of YSR to pay homage.
While they didn’t speak to reporters about the meeting, a Congress leader familiar with the development said Sharmila had asked Sunitha to join the party and contest the upcoming elections from Kadapa parliamentary constituency.“Sunitha, too, is interested in entering active politics, but she needed some time to consider the offer,” the leader said requesting anonymity.
Sharmila has been extending moral support to Sunitha, after Vivekananda Reddy’s murder and demanding that those who had committed the murder should be brought to book.
Meanwhile, addressing the party workers at Kadapa, Sharmila came down heavily on her brother for instigating YSRCP leaders against her. “The YSRCP ranks have been making cheap and vulgar comments against me on social media. But I am not going to cow down with such attacks. I am a tigress born to a tiger like leader YSR,” she said.
Stating that she had no personal enmity with Jagan, Sharmila said he had become a changed man after becoming the chief minister. “He is not behaving like a brother now. This Jagan Reddy army has been personally abusing me, without even respecting me as a woman, if not as his sister,” she alleged.
She said while YSR had introduced several welfare schemes for the poor, but Jagan had miserably failed to uphold the welfare regime of her late father. “I had taken up padayatra for nearly 3,200 km to bring the YSRCP to power. Yet, the party leaders are thankless and making cheap comments against me,” she regretted.The YSRCP leaders could not be reached for comment on Sharmila’s allegations.
