AP CM Jagan's sister Y S Sharmila hints at floating new political outfit in Telangana

YSR Congress chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. Pic/AFP

Y S Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday held talks with her late father's sympathisers here, triggering speculations of her possible political entry in Telangana.

Responding to the development, the ruling YSRC in Andhra Pradesh said while Reddy and Sharmila do not have differences, the siblings only have "differences of opinion" over her political foray in this state. Sharmila's father and late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, widely known as YSR, was the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009. The Congress leader died in a chopper crash in September
2009.

There have been rumours doing the rounds on social media over the past few days that Sharmila plans to start a political party in Telangana without her brother's intervention. She is believed to be in touch with some prominent political leaders, who were closely associated with late Rajasekhara Reddy, eliciting their suggestions and opinion on bringing "Rajanna Rajyam" (a state envisaged by the late Reddy) in Telangana.

"I want to understand the ground realities and to take their suggestions and the information they have...I called people from Nalgonda district. This is just a connection (with them)." "The meetings will be held with people from every district," she told the media after the meeting. Asked if she would launch a political party, Sharmila said "there is no Rajanna Rajyam now. Why should it not come?. My objective is to establish Rajanna Rajyam," she said.

To a query, she said, "Jagan Mohan Reddy is doing his job in AP and I will do mine in Telangana." Sharmila and her mother Vijayamma had vigorously campaigned for the YSR Congress during the general elections in 2019. However, after the party clinched a landslide victory and Jagan took over the reins, Sharmila was not seen much in public. Responding to Sharmila's possible political entry in Telangana, YSRC senior leader and Advisor to the AP Government, Sajjala Ramakrishna, said Jagan and Sharmila do not have differences, but only "differences of opinion" on her venturing into Telangana politics.

"As a daughter of Rajasekhar Reddy she has leadership qualities," Reddy said, addressing a press conference near Vijayawada. "People at various levels tried to convince her not to get into Telangana politics, but she took a decision...she has to face the political consequences," he said. He opined that since YSRC decided not to be active in other states, including Telangana, she may have independently decided to fill the gap by going there.

The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtria Samiti (TRS), has been ruling the state, which came into existence in 2014, winning two back to back assembly elections. Sharmila met sympathisers of Rajasekhara Reddy from the united Nalgonda district at the family's residence at Lotus Pond here. Konda Ragava Reddy, a senior YSRC leader of the Telangana unit, told reporters that Sharmila will float a political party and take the ideology to the masses. According to him the announcement will be made at a public meeting at Chevella in Rangareddy District in Telangana in the coming days.

Several banners with portraits of Sharmila and Rajasekhar Reddy were erected at the residence. Jagan's image was conspicuously missing in the banners and flex boards. Hundreds of people gathered at the residence and cheered as she came out. They burst crackers and shouted slogans like "YSR johar" in memory of the deceased leader.

A YSR Congress worker from Utnoor in Adilabad said he strongly wants Sharmila to float a party in order to bring "Rajanna Rajyam" (Rajasekhar Reddy's regime) in Telangana also. Though the YSRC has a presence in Telangana, it did not contest in the last general elections. Sharmila undertook a 'Padayatra' when Jagan was imprisoned in connection with a quid pro quo case in 2012.

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