YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) founder and president YS Sharmila on Sunday, September 18, alleged a conspiracy behind the death of her father and (undivided) Andhra Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Sharmila, who is on a Telangana padayatra, also claimed that plans are afoot to kill her too. YS Rajasekhara Reddy had lost his life in a helicopter accident in December 2009, a few months after leading the Congress to its second consecutive victory in the Assembly polls. Addressing the media in Mahbubnagar, Sharmila said: "YS Rajasekhara Reddy's death is the result of a conspiracy and attempts are being made to kill me too,” she said. She also told Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that she was not afraid of being arrested. “KCR should remember that I'm YSR's daughter and fearless," she said.
Sharmila is the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. She parted ways with her brother in 2021 and set up the YSR Telangana Party as a political alternative for the people of Telangana. Earlier on September 123, the Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker referred to the Privileges Committee a complaint by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) against Sharmila for allegedly making inappropriate comments about CM KCR, ministers and the legislators.
Chief Whip D Vinay Bhaskar along with ministers Niranjan Reddy and Srinivas Goud and some MLAs met the Speaker and submitted the complaint. They said her remarks against the members amounted to a breach of privileges and sought action against her. Niranjan Reddy informed that a complaint was already filed against Sharmila to the Director General of Police (DGP). Meanwhile, police in Wanaparthy registered a case against Sharmila for making personal remarks on Niranjan Reddy and for holding a public meeting without police permission, leading to a traffic jam. The case was registered on a complaint by local TRS leaders.
Wondering why TRS ministers and MLAs were scared when she raised the issue of corruption, Sharmila alleged that they are running the state “Taliban-style”. Alleging that Telangana police are arresting anyone who questions the failures of the TRS government, Sharmila said the police department might as well be merged into the ruling TRS party. “We are not afraid of handcuffs or threats. We will not bow down to arrests. YSR was killed in a conspiracy. They can kill me too. But as long as I live, I cannot be separated from the people,” Sharmila said.
బేడీలకు భయపడం.. బెదిరింపులకు బెదరం.. అరెస్టులకు అంతకన్నా తలొగ్గం.. వైఎస్ఆర్ గారిని కుట్ర చేసి చంపారు. నన్ను కూడా చంపగలరు. కానీ నాలో ఊపిరి ఉన్నంత వరకు ప్రజల నుంచి వేరు చేయలేరు.#PrajaPrasthanam pic.twitter.com/rNmIRgL5aG
— YS Sharmila (@realyssharmila) September 18, 2022
Last year on July 8, which happens to be the birth anniversary of her father YSR, Sharmila announced the launch of the YSR Telangana Party. Embarking on a padayatra of the state, she had covered 2000 km on foot a week ago. As of September 11, she had marched across 34 Assembly constituencies, 31 municipalities, 104 mandals and 987 villages. During the padayatra, Sharmila addressed 34 public meetings, where she tore into the alleged misgovernance and wrong policies of the TRS government.