Vijayawada: YS Sharmila, recently appointed as the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), officially assumed office on January 21 with a warm welcome at Gannavaram airport in Vijayawada. As the daughter of late AP CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy and sister of the current CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sharmila merged her YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) with the Congress and took charge after Gidugu Rudraraju’s resignation.
Addressing party members in Kanuru, Sharmila criticized the state’s lack of development over the past decade, particularly blaming CM Jagan’s administration for the mounting debt and alleged corruption. She questioned Jagan’s silence on violence against Christians in Manipur, expressing disappointment given his Christian identity.
Sharmila also took aim at the BJP government, criticizing its failure to deliver on promises such as employment generation and fulfillment of commitments to farmers. She raised concerns about the utilization of foreign black money, the status of the Polavaram project, and the alignment of Andhra Pradesh MPs with the Union government’s decisions. Sharmila urged leaders following YS Rajashekar Reddy’s ideology to join the Congress, and she welcomed former YSRCP MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy into the party.