Tension prevailed during Andhra Pradesh Congress president YS Sharmila Reddy’s campaign in Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's home constituency Pulivendula on Friday, April 12. According to reports, few supporters of the ruling YSR Congress tried to disrupt her public meeting at Lingala mandal by raising slogans.
While YSRCP workers raised slogans of 'Jai Jagan' holding party flags, the workers of the Congress party responded with counter slogans of ‘Jai Sharmila’. The incident caused tension at the meeting and police intervention was needed to disperse the crowd.
Sharmila is the sister of CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is the president of YSRCP and daughter of former CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Sharmila is the Congress candidate for Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency. Pulivendula is one of the assembly segments under this parliamentary constituency, from where Jagan was elected.
Speaking at the public meeting, Sharmila said that YSRCP cadres were trying to disrupt her campaign as they feared that Avinash Reddy would lose the election. She dared those trying to disrupt her meetings to come to Pulivendula town for a meeting to find out who killed her uncle and former minister YS Vivekananda Reddy.
Accompanied by Vivekananda Reddy's daughter YS Sunitha Reddy, Sharmila toured the constituency extensively as part of the campaign.
Read: Uncle murdered, cousin implicated: CM Jagan's YSRCP haunted by a murky case
She attacked Jagan yet again, saying he was shielding the killers of their uncle. “It's been five years since Vivekananda Reddy was killed. No justice has been delivered. The person who killed and conspired the murder is free. I question CM Jagan why he was not unable to get justice in his own uncle’s murder case. Instead he fielded him again,” she said referring to YS Avinash Reddy, prime accused in the murder case.
“On one side it is Avinash Reddy and on the other side it is the daughter of YS Rajasekhar Reddy, choose your MP,” she added.
Vivekananda Reddy, a former minister and former MP, was murdered when he was alone at his residence in Pulivendula town of Kadapa district on March 15, 2019, weeks before the elections. Vivekananada Reddy was the brother of YS Rajaskehar Reddy.
Sunitha Reddy had moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which ordered a CBI probe and questioned Jagan’s failure to pursue it. The CBI took over the case in July 2020.
In April 2023, the CBI arrested Vivekananda Reddy's cousin YS Bhaskar Reddy, father of Avinash Reddy. The CBI claimed that both Avinash and Bhaskar Reddy conspired to eliminate Vivekananda Reddy because he was against fielding Avinash Reddy from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and wanted Jagan Mohan Reddy to instead field his mother Vijayamma or sister Sharmila.
However, the father-son duo denied the allegation. Avinash Reddy was granted anticipatory bail by the Telangana High Court on May 31, 2023.