The 75th birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy has turned to be an occasion of `succession struggle’ between his son and daughter. Both son and former chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and daughter YS Sharmila are leading two separate political parties in the state, which are on quite opposite poles.
Both brother and sister are celebrating father’s 75th birth anniversary in their own way just a month after their humiliating defeat in the recent general elections. For the last couple of years, both of them used to offer tributes to their father separately in their native place Pulivendula at YSR Ghat. But this is my first time making big events at different places.
While Jaganmohan Reddy as usual offered prayers to his father in Pulivendula, Sharmila chose Vijayawada by organizing a big event on behalf of Congress party, inviting Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy and other heavy weights.
Though Sharmila’s actual differences with her brother Jaganmohan Reddy are not known out-side, by starting a regional party in Telangana she tried to demonstrate her political cloud as a daughter of YS, but failed. By merging her party into Congress she tried to test her luck in Andhra Pradesh, but levelled the political battle against her brother only.
Incidentally, Japan’s political base was hijacked from Congress, after the latter became a villain in the eyes of AP people after bifurcation of the state. Congress encouraged Sharmila only to weaken Jaganmohan Reddy by diluting his base, so as to strengthen the party in the state.
Though Sharmila failed to give a fresh life for Congress in AP, she succeeded in creating a headache to her brother politically by slightly increasing Congress vote percentage. It is open fact strengthening of Congress will only harm Jagan’s political interests in AP.
After a disastrous defeat in the polls and YCP’s strength in the AP assembly confined to 11 seats, Jaganmohan Reddy is practically facing a crisis of political survival. At such a critical juncture, YS Sharmila’s tirade against her brother’s political legacy and attempting to hijack father’s succession from brother widening political tensions among brother and sister.
