Repalle (Andhra Pradesh): Andhra Pradesh Congress president Y S Sharmila on Wednesday ridiculed her elder brother Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for according a father figure status to Botcha Satyanarayana who allegedly abused their late father Y S Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR).
Sharmila attacked the YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister for allegedly entertaining leaders who abused their parents, while campaigning for the forthcoming polls.
“It seems Botcha Satyanarayana is equal to a father for Jagan Mohan Reddy. Which Botcha Satyanarayana? This same Botcha (Satyanarayana) stood in the Assembly and on record he abused Rajasekhar Reddy,” said Sharmila, addressing a public meeting at Repalle in Bapatla district.
She reminded that Satyanarayana, who holds the education portfolio in the YSRCP government now, did not even spare Rajasekhar Reddy’s wife and also allegedly called for the ‘hanging’ of Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“How much did he (Satyanarayana) abuse? Finally, he did not even spare Vijayalakshmi, Rajasekhar Reddy’s wife, and abused her also. Today, that kind of a person has become befitting of a father (figure) for Jagan,” she said.
A key Congress leader in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, Satyanarayana later jumped ship to the YSRCP to endear himself to Jagan and went on to become a minister.
According to Sharmila, the Andhra Pradesh CM has accorded priority to, and is going around with, leaders like Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, Vidadala Rajani, R K Roja and others, all of whom allegedly abused YSR.
Contrasting the treatment being meted out to such leaders and subtly referring to herself and late Y S Vivekananda Reddy, Sharmila said people who did ‘padayatra’ (political walkathons) and those who got axed to death were not important to Jagan.
Sharmila’s reference was to her padayatra in Jagan’s support when he was imprisoned and the murder of their uncle Vivekananda Reddy.
She asserted that there is no YSR in the YSRCP, claiming that Y means Y V Subba Reddy, S means V Vijayasai Reddy and R means S Ramakrishna Reddy in the ruling party.
She highlighted that Rajasekhar Reddy gave utmost priority to farmers while Jagan is allegedly not even giving subsidy for drip irrigation.
“Will they uphold Rajasekhar Reddy’s values? Is there compensation for crop loss? Is there at least a minimum support price for farmers? Then what did Jagan do,” Sharmila said.
Elections for the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.
