Decks cleared for Jagan sister Sharmila’s YSRTP, Cong merger amid some hiccups

Sharmila would reach New Delhi on Thursday evening to meet top All India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, to take their talks forward and finalise the YSRTP’s merger with the grand old party. One hitch in this regard, however, remains the point that while Sharmila is keen to focus on Telangana, the Congress camp wants her to play an active role in Andhra Pradesh, whose politics is currently being dominated by her elder brother.

YSRTP chief spokesperson Konda Raghava Reddy told The Indian Express that Sharmila will continue to focus on Telangana politics. “After doing a padyatra of 3,800 kms, Sharmila has understood that running the party is not feasible anymore. There is no way the party can move forward. She has understood that people are not responding as expected. There is no political vaccum in the state (Telangana) as we thought. Over and above all this, there is a financial crisis and she and YSRTP leaders cannot afford to run the party anymore. She must be one of the few persons who ran a political party by mortgaging some of her assets,’’ Raghava Reddy said.

“The merger of YSRTP with Congress is unconditional. What roles, if at all, would be given to YSRTP leaders by the Congress is not known. Whether Sharmila would be accepted by leaders of Telangana Congress is also not known,” he said.

Raghava Reddy ruled out Sharmila returning to Andhra Pradesh politics, where her elder brother, CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, had floated the YSRCP in 2011 after breaking away from the Congress.

“Sharmila maintains that she was born and brought up in Hyderabad. She considers the city her home. She was educated, got married, and gave birth to her children in this city and so she will not leave Hyderabad,” the YSRTP chief spokesman said.

YSRTP insiders said Sharmila and the district party leaders she appointed have struggled to keep the party afloat, even as she kept running into Telangana Police over law and order issues. “Even the paper work to get recognition for the YSRTP has not been submitted to the Election Commission. The party was being run by district coordinators as the executive committee was not formed,” said a party leader.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy said that Sharmila is welcome to join the Congress fold, but made it clear that she will not be given any leadership role in the state party unit. “If she wants to go to Andhra Pradesh and lead the party there I welcome it but she cannot be in a leadership role here in Telangana. She is from Andhra Pradesh, not from Telangana. Telangana’s self-respect would be hurt if she is given any role here,” he said.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief G Rudra Raju said it was too early to comment on the matter.

YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy’s office said they will release a statement later.

Sharmila founded the YSRTP on July 8, 2021, looking to test the political waters in Telangana. With Andhra political landscape packed with a number of political players — including the Jagan-led YSRCP, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party (JSP), BJP, and the Congress — Sharmila could not find any space for herself there, and shifted to Telangana politics.

On October 20, 2021, she launched her Praja Prasthanam Yatra, a foot march across 33 districts of Telangana. As she criticised Telangana CM and Bharat

Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR and BRS MLAs, she became the target of the BRS workers, who targeted her padayatra on multiple occasions. She also got into trouble with the police for continuing her padyatra even after they withdrew its permission.