The Hindu (Visakhapatnam)

Sharmila slams Narendra Modi for ‘spewing venom’ on Congress

- APCC president

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y.S. Sharmila on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of “spewing venom against the Congress party” at a recent meeting in Rajasthan.

Addressing an election meeting at Bapatla, Ms. Sharmila referred to Mr. Modi’s speech, a part of which has become controvers­ial now. “Mr. Modi says that the Congress will snatch even the mangalasut­ras of women and redistribu­te wealth among the Muslim minorities in the country, if voted to power. The BJP is whipping up communal passions to garner votes,” Ms. Sharmila said, adding that “this is precisely why Y. S. Rajasekhar­a Reddy was vehemently opposed to this communal party.”

The State Congress president alleged that scores of women “lost their mangalasut­ras’ in the Godhra riots and during the Manipur violence when Mr. Modi was in power.

Condemning Mr. Modi’s “hate speech”, she said the BJP should speak about the developmen­t works it had carried out during its rule.

Ms. Sharmila accused the Prime Minister of betraying the people of Andhra

Pradesh by completely neglecting the State which was in need of developmen­t on all fronts after bifurcatio­n. “And yet both Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and leader of the opposition N. Chandrabab­u Naidu have been extending their full support to the BJP,” she said, adding that the time had come for voters to teach a –tting lesson to the BJP, both at the Centre and in the State.

She said sitting Bapatla

MLA Kona Raghupathi of the YSRCP was known locally as a ‘land shark’ and accused him of being involved in sand smuggling.

She alleged that the YSRCP rule was marked by loot and anarchy. “Corruption existed under the TDP rule as well, but the YSRCP leaders have surpassed their predecesso­rs in the scale of graft and violation of rules,” she alleged.

Pointing to the fact that the sitting MLA was given a ticket again this time, she asked people to decide if they wanted to be at the receiving end of the injustice and lawlessnes­s existing in the State for another –ve years.

“Mr. Jagan has no right to claim that he is the heir of YSR, as he has been doing the exact opposite of what my father had done during his lifetime,” Ms. Sharmila said.

My father YSR was staunchly opposed to the BJP, which is today enjoying the support of both Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrabab­u Naidu Y.S. SHARMILA

 ?? ??
 ?? ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India