In a new development in her ongoing face-off with the TRS government, YSR Telangana Party founder-president YS Sharmila started a fast unto death on Friday, December 9. She was protesting the denial of permission by the police to continue her statewide padayatra. However, she was soon removed from the Ambedkar statue where she had begun her fast and was detained by the Hyderabad police.
Sharmila had reached the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar statue at Tank Bund with a memorandum on democracy being “murdered” in Telangana by the KCR government. She had announced a fast unto death to protest the police’s denial of permission for her padayatra. After completing 223 days, Sharmila’s padayatra saw disruptions on November 28, with vehicles damaged and burnt, allegedly by TRS workers. The violence occurred a day after Sharmila made several remarks against TRS MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy in a public meeting, alleging that he was a corrupt leader who must be driven out of politics.
After the incident, the state police temporarily canceled permission for her padayatra, in view of the law and order situation. They also detained Sharmila while she was protesting the attacks on her party vehicles. The next day, on November 29, Sharmila drove a car that was damaged in the attack to the Pragathi Bhavan, the official residence and workplace of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad. Police towed the car while she was still sitting in it, and once again detained and arrested her.
Since then, Sharmila has not been allowed to resume her padayatra, which was halted in Warangal. The Warangal district police served a show cause notice asking her to explain why the application for permission should not be rejected as the conditions laid down while granting permission earlier were allegedly violated. Reacting to this, Sharmila said a legal reply will be submitted to the Warangal police. She said if the police still failed to give permission for the resumption of padayatra, the party would fight a legal battle. She had planned to resume the walkathon from Lingagiri Cross in Narsampet where the padayatra was stopped following the attack allegedly by workers of TRS.
Addressing the media at Tank Bund, Sharmila alleged that KCR had completely destroyed democracy in Telangana. “He has been throttling the voices of dissent that rose against his autocratic and corrupt rule. It is deplorable to note how a person sitting in the seat of a Chief Minister can be so dictatorial,” Sharmila said.
“KCR and his partymen have now realized that the padayatra has completely exposed their failures and foul games… There have been continuous attempts to scuttle the yatra and demoralize us. If you are not scared of the changing public mood and the growing strength of YSR TP, then why these attacks?” she questioned.
She further said: “From foul language to unusual profanity, KCR and his cronies have even unleashed personal jibes against me. Shockingly we were the ones who were arrested.”
Watch: YS Sharmila to TNM: Democracy no more in Telangana