The controversy over the Saraswati Power Industries scam with Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is shaking up Andhra Pradesh politics. Facing a barrage of attacks, Y.S. Sharmila, head of Pradesh Congress Committee, was condemned by the YSRCP leaders for being behind all the conspiracies of the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to send him behind the bars.
In response to such allegations, Sharmila’s husband, Anil Kumar, took to a YouTube channel in order to defend their family and criticize Jagan. According to him, Jagan is more interested in amassing wealth than in his family; the action that he is undertaking, for example, filing petitions against his own relatives, presents a disturbing level of self-interest.
Anil enlightened as to why Sharmila formed the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP). Soon after Jagan became Chief Minister in 2019, political strategist Prashant Kishor requested Sharmila to form a party in Telangana, since the political opportunities were opening up. However, according to some sources, Jagan did not like the idea as it would provide an opportunity for then-Chief Minister of Telangana, KCR.
Anil claimed that Jagan blocked Sharmila’s attempts to create a party out of concern for his assets in Hyderabad. He also criticized Jagan for refusing to support an advertisement in Sakshi when Sharmila eventually decided to move forward with the YSRTP. Despite YS Vijayamma’s offer to cover the advertising costs, Jagan declined, further fueling Anil’s frustrations. He expressed that their family had been used to help Jagan rise to power, only to be sidelined once he assumed the role of Chief Minister.
Anil went on to accuse Jagan of abandoning them after they had served their purpose, emphasizing how this selfish behavior was especially evident in the petitions filed against family members. He claimed that the YSR Congress Party’s significant victory of 151 seats in the 2019 elections was largely attributable to his efforts, proudly referencing the number as significant to him. He noted that both his mobile and car numbers feature 151 and even quipped that counting the name “Jesus Christ” results in the same number, suggesting that it was a special number given to him by a higher power.