YSR Congress Party leader Y. S. Sharmila, was house arrested earlier today. At around 10:30 AM, a huge police force arrived at her Vijayawada residence, detained her, and limited her movement, effectively preventing her from stepping out of her house.
News of the house arrest of Sharmila quickly ignited protests, and a number of Congress leaders hurried to her home to seek an explanation. In an argumentative confrontation with the police, the leaders asked what Sharmila was arrested for, but reports indicate that the authorities provided no satisfactory explanation for the arrest.
In a sharp statement, Sharmila blamed the government for illegally detaining her and seeking an explanation. She directly pointed fingers at Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, asking them to explain the rationale behind her house arrest.
Sharmila complained about her Vijayawada detention and wondered why her visit to the PCC office was considered illegal. She was frustrated with the authorities’ argument that she would disturb law and order, but could not come up with any specific reasons.
The leader also lashed out at the Andhra Pradesh government for weakening constitutional rights, challenging their seeming fear of her. She indicted the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led ruling alliance with Janasena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for turning it into a criminal offense to resist their choices.
Sharmila further reasserted that the police should be employed for securing citizens and not for preventing political leaders from carrying out their duties. She was gravely concerned with the government’s failure to ensure public security, especially for women, as violence increased. She urged the authorities to prioritize securing the people of Andhra Pradesh.
Additionally, Sharmila described widespread corruption in big projects such as the Polavaram irrigation project and Amaravati development. She indicated that whenever the opposition raised such issues, the government was turning to arrests as a way to silence dissents. Speaking in her statement, Sharmila accused the ruling forces of stifling democracy by utilizing the police to suppress any opposition to their agenda.
