Tension prevailed at YS Sharmila’s residence in Lotus Pond, Hyderabad on Wednesday as scores of activists under the banner of Andhra Pradesh Parirakshana Samithi laid siege to her house to protest against her comments in support of Telangana in the ongoing Krishna river water row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Sharmila said she will fight with anyone if they try to divert Telangana share of Krishna water to AP indirectly hinting that she will not allow her brother and AP CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy to construct Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and Pothireddypadu expansion on river Krishna which are strongly opposed by Telangana government.

Samithi activists expressed anger at Sharmila for supporting Telangana despite she being ‘Rayalaseema bidda’.

Jagan is taking up projects on Krishna to solve irrigation and drinking water problems in Rayalaseema but Sharmila is trying to convert Rayalaseema into a desert by opposing Jagan’s projects, Ssmithi activists alleged.

They warned Sharmila of severe consequences if she hurts the interests of AP in general and Rayalaseema in particular.

The protest led to clash between Sharmila supporters and Samithi activists.

Police rushed to the spot, dispersed the mob and brought situation under control.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y.S. Sharmila will be launching her political party in Telangana next month.

Named ‘YSR Telangana Party’, it will be launched on July 8, the birth anniversary of her father and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Party coordinator Vaduka Rajagopal said on Monday that the process for registration of YSR Telangana Party with the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been completed.

Rajagopal filed an application with the ECI seeking its registration. The poll panel had issued a notification, seeking objections if any to the registration of YSR Telangana Party.

Y.S. Vijayalakshmi, honorary president of the YSR Congress Party, informed the Commission that she has no objection to registration of YSR Telangana Party.

Vijayalakshmi was present when her daughter Sharmila announced at a public meeting at Khammam on April 9 that she will be launching a new political party in Telangana.

While Jagan Mohan Reddy is said to be opposed to his sister floating a new party, Vijayalakshmi had appealed to people of Telangana to bless Sharmila with their support.

Rajagopal said after receiving the letter from ECI about recognition of YSR Telangana Party, they would announce more details about the party.

He said Sharmila was launching the new party to bring back the welfare rule of her late father YSR and to carry forward his ideals.

Sharmila will be unveiling the name, flag and agenda of the new party on July 8.

Addressing the meeting at Khammam, she vowed to bring back ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ in Telangana.

‘Rajanna Rajyam’ is referred to the rule of YSR when several welfare and pro-poor schemes were implemented.

YSR was the chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.

YSR’s daughter had said she was launching the party to question those in power and to fulfill the aspirations of Telangana movement and for self-respect of Telangana.

Sharmila has been holding meetings since March with YSR loyalists from various districts in Telangana to take their feedback before announcing her political plans.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) led by Jagan Mohan Reddy has already admitted that there is difference of opinion between the brother and sister over the latter’s political ambitions in Telangana.

YSRCP had won one MP and three MLA seats in the old undivided Khammam district in the maiden Assembly elections in Telangana in 2014.

However, YSRCP became inactive in Telangana after its MP and all three MLAs joined ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Jagan Mohan Reddy, who led YSRCP to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, decided to stay away from Telangana politics. His party did not contest 2018 Assembly elections and subsequent polls in Telangana.

YS Sharmila, who became active in Telangana politics, targetted the TRS Government on the issue of the Coronavirus epidemic. She has said that KCR and KTR are not turning blind eyes to the problems of the people. The Chief Minister and his son are turning a deaf ear to the plight of Covid patients.

Sharmila deplored that a Rs. 3,500 worth remdesivir injection is being sold in black market at Rs. 40,000 and above. But the father and son are not taking any action.

The criticism launched by Sharmila triggered a counter attack which was directed at her brother Jaganmohan Reddy’s regime in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The critics began asking her whether it was not a fact that her brother was giving greater problems to the AP people. This was why thousands of Covid patients were coming to Hyderabad for proper treatment on a daily basis.

They also asked Sharmila why she was not talking about the more than 20,000 Covid cases and nearly 90 deaths taking place in AP everyday under the Jagan regime.

YS Sharmila, the daughter of late CM YS Rajashekar Reddy and the sister of AP CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy is facing allegations of trying to bribe leaders of various political parties in Telangana to join her political party to be launched on July 8.

Speculations are rife that Sharmila wants to utilise the remaining three months’ time before launching her party to lure as many noted Telangana leaders as possible into her party.

These speculations gain credence with prominent Congress leader from Warangal Konda Murali claiming that he got a phone call from Sharmla to join her party and she offered several crores of rupees to him in return.

Konda Murali and his wife Konda Surkha were staunch followers of YSR when they were in Congress. They remained staunch supporters of Jagan even after YSR’s death and participated in Jagan’s Odarpu Yatra in Telangana.

But after Jagan decided to confine himself to AP politics after launching YSRCP in 2011, differences cropped up between Jagan and Konda couple. They joined TRS later but quit TRS before 2018 December Assembly polls and joined Congress.

Konda Murali said he had rejected Sharmila’s offer and vowed to work in Congress saying that they had supported Jagan earlier when he was in jail but Jagan ignored them after coming out of jail.

Konda’s remarks on Sharmila created a stir in Telangana politics. Now all the parties are on high alert to prevent the poaching of their leaders by Sharmila.

YS Sharmila, who announced to launch her political party in Telangana on July 8, has decided to hit the streets against TRS government from now itself.

However, Telangana police gave a shocker to Sharmila by giving permission to hold only one-day deeksha against TRS government.

It may be recalled that Sharmila had announced to be sit on three-day deeksha (hunger strike) from April 15 to 18 at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park in Hyderabad demanding TRS government to issue job notifications to fill 1.91 lakh vacancies in government departments.

Sharmila applied for police permission for this.

However, Telangana police gave permission for Sharmila to hold deeksha only for a day on November 15 from 10 am to 5 pm.

Sharmila is now planning to continue the remaining two days deeksha at her Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad.

Sharmila said her fight against TRS government will continue till KCR releases job notifications to fill 1.91 lakh job notifications.

Y.S. Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Friday announced that she will be floating a new political party in Telangana.

Announcing her political foray into Telangana at a public meeting at Khammam, she vowed to bring back the golden rule of her late father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, late Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh (2004-09).

She said she will unveil the name, flag and agenda of the new party on YSR’s birth anniversary (July 8).

Sharmila’s mother Y.S. Vijayamma shared the dais with her and appealed to people to bless Sharmila with their support.

Sharmila said she is taking a small step with ‘Sankapa Sabha’ to follow into the footsteps of her late father. She recalled that it was on this day (April 9) 18 years ago that YSR “sowed the seeds of his golden rule with ‘Praja Prasthanam’ padyatra”.

YSR’s daughter said she was launching the party to question those in power and to fulfil the aspirations of Telangana movement and for the self-respect of Telangana. She also slammed opposition Congress and BJP, saying they have failed in their duty to question the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government.

While paying tributes to those who laid down their lives to achieve statehood to Telangana, Sharmila wanted to know why suicides were continuing even after the formation of Telangana.

She alleged that the TRS government has not issued a single new ration card or sanctioned a new pension. She said the government also failed to give land to poor.

Sharmila reminded Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao about his promise of KG to PG free education. She also hit out at BJP-led government at the Centre for going back on the promises made to Telangana.

She also lashed out at those who are questioning her roots. Sharmila said whether somebody accepts or not, she is daughter of Telangana and will remain so. “I grew up on this land. Is it wrong if I want to pay back to this land,” she asked.

Earlier, Sharmila left Hyderabad for Khammam on Friday morning in a big convoy of vehicles.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, has already admitted that there is difference of opinion between the brother and sister over the latter’s political ambitions in Telangana.

‘Sankalpa Sabha’ was the first public meeting of Sharmila ever since she announced that she plans to float a political party in Telangana.

For more than a month, Sharmila has been holding meetings with YSR loyalists from various districts in Telangana to take their feedback before announcing her political plans.

She vowed try to bring back ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ (a reference to pro-poor and welfare regime of YSR) in Telangana.

Composite Khammam district is considered politically significant. Sharmila had extensively toured the district during her “Maro Praja Prasthanam”, a state-wide walkathon, in 2013 to mobilise support for her brother who was then in jail in disproportionate assets case.

The YSRCP had won one MP’s and three MLA’s seats in the old undivided Khammam district in the maiden Assembly elections in Telangana in 2014.

However, it became inactive in Telangana after its MP and all three MLAs joined the ruling TRS.

Jagan Mohan Reddy, who led the YSRCP to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, decided to stay away from Telangana politics. His party did not contest 2018 Assembly elections and subsequent polls in Telangana.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y.S. Sharmila on Wednesday trained her guns on Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao over “drought-prone” mandals in his home district Medak.

Sharmila, who is planning to float a political party in Telangana, addressed a meeting of loyalists of her late father and former undivided Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy from the district.

Addressing the meeting at her residence in Hyderabad, she said in the CM’s home district, 20 mandals are drought-prone. “What should be the level of development in united Medak district represented by the Chief Minister but what is happening there now,” she asked, claiming people of the district were facing water scarcity while farmers were suffering the most.

Sharmila alleged that farmers who had given their lands for Mallanna Sagar project were protesting. She also claimed that lands of Dalits were acquired forcibly.

She asserted that had Rajasekhara Reddy been alive, Medak district would have seen more development. Sharmila also claimed that due to construction of Outer Ring Road around Hyderabad by Rajasekhara Reddy, Medak witnessed rapid development.

Sharmila said she was pained to learn that a youth who had fought for statehood to Telangana recently attempted suicide as he was depressed over not getting a job.

The meeting was the latest in a series of consultations she is having with YSR loyalists from various parts of Telangana before announcing her political plans.

Sharmila has already admitted that she has difference of opinion with her brother Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is not in favour of launching a party in Telangana.

YSR Congress Party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy is confined to Andhra Pradesh and the party is not keen to revive its activities in the neighbouring Telugu state.

YS Sharmila, the daughter of late AP Chief Minister YS Rajashekar Reddy and sister of AP CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday (today) announced that she will contest from Palair Assembly seat (Paleru) in Khammam district in Telangana Assembly elections to be held in December 2023.

Sharmila made this announcement during the meeting with her supporters and loyalists of YSR from Khammam district at her Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad.

It may be recalled that Sharmila is preparing ground to launch her own political party in Telangana and holding district-wise meetings with supporters of her and YSR since February this year.

Sharmila had already announced that she will launch her political party by holding a mega public rally in Khammam on April 9. In the meeting she will announce party’s name, symbol and flag.

She said Palair Assembly seat for her is like Pulivendula Assembly seat for her father YSR.

However, uncertainty surrounds over Sharmila’s public meeting in Khammam on April 9 in the backdrop of increasing covid cases in Telangana.

Doubts are being raised whether Telangana government will permit this meeting citing Covid restrictions.