Speculation rife Sharmila to start Telangana YSR party
Close family members aware of rift between Jagan and his sister
Y.S. Sharmila, the younger sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has convened an ‘Aatmeeya Sammelanam’ (a gettogether of well-wishers) here on Tuesday, giving credence to speculations in political circles that she would soon launch a political outfit.
Sharmila’s meeting strategically coincides with the 50th wedding anniversary of her father Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and mother Vijayamma , an “emotional’ event, where several politicians close to YSR will be attending. Sharmila reached her Lotus Pond residence on Monday along with her evangelist husband, who is popularly known as Brother Anil, from Bengaluru, to oversee the preparations.
Sources close to the YSR family told Deccan Chronicle that her uncle and TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy made a last-minute effort, apparently on behalf of Jagan Mohan Reddy, to persuade Sharmila to call off the meeting but to no avail.
Politicians and people from other walks of life from Nalgonda and neighbouring areas of Hyderabad besides those from Andhra Pradesh were expected to take part in the meeting, which will be held either at Lotus Pond or Brother Anil’s church in Gachibowli.
Several theories are being floated on her outfit.
According to a section of politicians, it will be a Telangana-based party. While some see it as an attempt to split the antiincumbency vote in Telangana, others argue that the outfit was designed to take away from the TRS its loyal vote bank of migrants from Andhra Pradesh and win over YSR’s loyalists and beneficiaries of his schemes.
“I find no meaning to the theory that she would confine herself to Telangana politics to avoid a direct confrontation with Jagan because the very political activity launched by the couple is to irritate him. Secondly, YSR’s legacy has strong foundations in protecting Andhra and Rayalaseema interests in the combined state and now she has to fight against the same legacy by battling for Telangana,” said a veteran politician YSR Congress MLA.
Close family members of YSR who are fully aware of the rift between brother and sister were also of the strong opinion that she would eventually land in Andhra Pradesh politics because it is where she traces her roots to. They attribute the differences to both economic and political factors, including denial of some business opportunities to Brother Anil, and a Rajya Sabha seat to her.
Sources said Jagan Mohan Reddy did not want to court fresh controversies by involving family members in state projects or mining activity. He is said to have promised the Rajya Sabha seat in due course.
Brother Anil’s close friends, on the other hand, drew parallel with K.T. Rama Rao and Kavitha — both of whom are accommodative to each other and pursue politics of co-existence — and Rama Rao never considered Kavitha as an alternative power centre in the party.