Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, February 3 condemned the harassment and threats against Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president YS Sharmila and Sunitha Nareddy, daughter of late Congress leader YS Vivekananda Reddy. Rahul described the harassment against the women as a “vile and cowardly act”. A man identified as Varra Ravindra Reddy had allegedly made threats against Sharmila, Sunitha, and Sharmila’s mother YS Vijayamma in several Facebook posts.
“Insulting and threatening women, a vile and cowardly act, is unfortunately the most common weapon of the weak. The Congress Party and I stand firmly beside @realyssharmila ji and Suneetha Ji and strongly condemn this disgraceful attack,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
Recently, Sharmila and Sunitha together paid respects to deceased AP CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy at his samadhi (resting place). The meeting between the two had triggered media speculation about Sunitha joining the Congress ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
Sunitha had filed a complaint against Varra Ravindra, whose Facebook profile shows his close association with the ruling YSRCP.
In one of his posts, he wrote, “Elders have said that enemies shouldn’t be left alone. Kill them, elder brother. It will be useful for this election.” The mention of the term ‘elder brother’ is presumably a reference to AP chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is fondly referred to as Jagan ‘Anna’ (elder brother) by supporters of his party.
Responding to this, Sharmila said, “Only the cowards resort to cruelty when confronted with impending defeat. Their actions may be vicious, but we derive strength from the support and affection shown by the people of Andhra Pradesh.”