Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila on Friday, kicked off her campaign for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls from Amagampalli in Badvel constituency in Kadapa. She started her campaign giving a clarion call to the people to bring back the Congress government in the state to put an end to `politics of murder’ in the state.
She also appealed that only Congress government can fulfil the bifurcation promises to the state, including completion of Polavaram project and according special status to the state.
As part of election canvassing, Sharmila passed through the villages of Itukulapadu, Varikuntla, Kalsapadu, Pourmamilla, Payalakuntla and others on the first day, where she will deliver a series of speeches and culminate her first day at Atloor around 10 pm.
She started her campaign invoking the legacy of her father and former Congress chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, aiming at pushing her brother and present chief minister of the state YS Jaganmohan Reddy into an embarrassing situation.
“YSR (Y S Rajasekhar Reddy) was a Congressman. He did many wonders as a chief minister. Now Jagan is the chief minister and he pawned the state to BJP,” said Sharmila, addressing a small public meeting at Amagampalli.
Alleging that not even a single bifurcation promise has been fulfilled, including the special category status or Kadapa steel plant, she tried to put her brother Jagan into defensive.
She also invoked the legacy of her uncle and former minister YS Vivekanda Reddy, stating that she was forced to contest from her family’s fortress against her own cousin brother, YS Avinash Reddy, who was picked up by her brother Jagan as the candidate from Kadapa, though he was named as a crucial witness in the uncle’s murder casy, by the CBI.
Vivekananda Reddy himself was a former Kadapa MP and the younger brother of Rajasekhar Reddy, who was murdered on 15 March 2019 in the run-up to polls and his murder case continues to be unresolved.
“Murderers are being protected. This is deplorable, unfortunate and unjust. Murderers should not again enter the lawmaking bodies (Parliament),” said Sharmila. Further, she claimed that the southern state will develop only when Congress comes to power and said that Jagan Mohan Reddy is a “slave to BJP”.
Dr. Sunitha Narreddy, daughter of Vivekananda Reddy also addressed the public meeting.v”The competition is between people who killed Vivekananda Reddy and Sharmila and my father’s last wish was to make Sharmila an MP. Vivekananda Reddy’s last wish should be fulfilled,” said Sunitha, calling for the defeat of her cousin Y S Avinash Reddy, YSRCP’s Kadapa Lok Sabha candidate.
Meanwhile, former union minister K Kruparani, who recently quit the ruling YSRCP joined Congress party in the presence of APCC chief and senior leaders.