Sharmila’s return to Congress ahead of elections opens Pandora’s Box
Ruling YSRCP accuses Chandrababu Naidu of engineering a split between the son and daughter of Vijayamma and late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the former CM of undivided AP
image for illustrative purpose
Vijayawada: The Congress, which was completely wiped out in electoral politics due to severe resentment over the way Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014, now hopes for revival with the merging of YS Sharmila's YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) with the grand old party. "We are confident that with her return to the Congress-fold, the party will be on the recovery path as the grand old party is the only political outfit committed to granting Special Category Status to AP," former PCC president and AICC working committee member N Raghuveera Reddy, said.
Her return to the Congress after she parted company along with her brother, Chief Minister of AP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has thrown up a Pandora's Box in the State with the ruling YSRCP accusing its bete noire TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu of engineering a split between the son and daughter of Vijayamma and late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who died while serving as Chief Minister of the undivided AP in a plane crash in the Nallamala forests in 2009.
The Chief Minister first made a jibe at Naidu for his role in splitting families at an official function at Kakinada. This was followed by the bitter criticism by his close lieutenant and Government Advisor (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, who claimed that Naidu was instrumental for Sharmilla's joining the Congress.
Describing it as a deep-rooted conspiracy after realising the fact that Naidu cannot fight politically with Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sajjala alleged that TDP leader M Ravindranath Reddy (B.Tech Ravi) had called on brother Anil Kumar, husband of Sharmila before her decision to merge her party with the Congress. He said Sharmila had also flown in a flight owned by former TDP MP CM Ramesh, who is now in BJP. "All these facts after severe criticism of brother Anil Kumar in the past proves the fact that Naidu played a key role in her joining the Congress to take cudgels against our party," he alleged.
In related development, B.Tech Ravi, who is in-charge of TDP in Pulivendula constituency represented by the Chief Minister, dismissed the allegations a figment of imagination and frivolous. Immediately after Jagan's accusation at him on dividing families, Naidu denied the charge and asked the Chief Minister to elaborate details if he had any evidence.
The YSRCP leadership feels that Naidu has planted his loyalists in both the Congress and BJP to
manage things.
This assumes importance in the light of the reports that the BJP State executive will meet on January 10 at Vijayawada to take stock of the existing political scenario. State president and late NTR's daughter Daggubati Purandeswari has gone on record saying that the decision on having alliances with TDP-Jana Sena or to go alone in the ensuing elections will be finalised by the party's central leadership.
