Hyderabad: The YS sibling rivalry in Andhra Pradesh will now play out face-to-face on the family’s home-turf after the Congress party Tuesday declared Y.S. Sharmila Reddy as its Lok Sabha candidate from Kadapa.
While Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will fight the state polls from his citadel Pulivendula — one of the seven assembly segments in Kadapa — he has renominated Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) sitting MP, his cousin Y.S. Avinash Reddy, from the Lok Sabha seat.
Sharmila laid stake to father YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s political legacy in Kadapa, stating that YSR bidda (daughter) is now in the fray. She accused brother Jagan of turning the Andhra Pradesh “into a rakshasa raajyam (rule of anarchy), steeped in debt and submerged in alcohol, while his promise was to usher in Rajanna Raajyam (reference to late CM YSR’s welfare centric rule).”
Andhra Pradesh will vote simultaneously for assembly and general elections on 13 May.
The prominent issue gripping the constituency, which also resonates statewide as a key topic during election season, stems from within the YS family — the murder of their uncle, former Kadapa MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, which took place five years ago, just before the previous polls. Despite being investigated by the CBI, the sensational case remains unsolved to this day.
Following the announcement of her candidacy Tuesday, Sharmila made accusations against her estranged elder brother Jagan in connection with her babai’s (uncle in Telugu) death, even accusing him of using it for political gains.
“Jagan is a changed man since he became the CM. I don’t know this Jagan. He promoted murder politics and has renominated those who killed Viveka as Kadapa MP candidate. I could not stomach this,” she told reporters at the YSR memorial at Idupulapaya near Pulivendula, where she was accompanied by her mother Y.S. Vijayamma and state Congress leaders.
Accusing the CM of “shielding, supporting YS Avinash Reddy, the sitting MP, despite evidence”, Sharmila said she decided to be the Kadapa candidate in a bid “to stop a murderer from ascending the Parliament steps (again)”.
Avinash was named last year as one of the several accused in the case. His father YS Bhaskara Reddy was arrested by the CBI in April last year. The central agency is reportedly investigating the role of the father-son duo as conspirators. A few others were also arrested in the ongoing probe.
Sharmila, appointed as the head of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) in January after her Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Telangana Party (YSRTP) merged with the Congress last year, said that her decision to contest from Kadapa was “a difficult one”. “I knew it would (further) split my family,” she said, adding that her cousin Suneetha Nareddy, Viveka’s daughter, was “waging a battle” in the courts and outside for justice in her father’s case.
Who killed babai?
On 15 March, 2019, mere weeks before the 2019 elections, Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy was found dead at his residence in Pulivendula. Initially, the death was reported in the media as being caused by a cardiac arrest. However, later it was found to be a case of murder.
Then in Opposition, Jagan hurled accusations at the then CM and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu and demanded a CBI probe. However, later, as CM himself, Jagan handed the case to the state police teams, a move opposed by Suneetha who approached the high court seeking CBI probe.
Since then, Opposition parties such as the TDP and Jana Sena have consistently alleged Jagan’s involvement in his uncle’s death or accused him of shielding the perpetrators. Now, with criticism coming from his own sister, political analysts predict it will spell trouble for the YSRCP chief, particularly during campaigning in Kadapa.
“The twists, turns and inordinate delays in the probe in the murder of the CM’s uncle has raised many doubts among people. And his own family — his sister and cousin sister — accusing him of stalling a fair investigation is giving traction to further suspicions,” Mysura Reddy told ThPrint. He is a former Congress home minister in the united Andhra Pradesh and then a TDP MP and YSRCP polit-buro member. Mysura has retired from active politics.
Sensing trouble, Jagan has made some counter attacks already.
Addressing a YSRCP “Memantha Siddham” (we are all ready) rally last week at Proddatur, one of the assembly segments in Kadapa, Jagan accused Naidu of goading his sisters against him.
“God knows and people of this district know who killed Viveka babai. You also know who is supporting my sisters in the smear campaign against me. Surprisingly, the man who confessed to the gruesome murder is roaming freely and you know who is backing him too. It is Chandrababu and his men,” said Jagan, referring to Sheik Dastagiri, Viveka’s driver—an accused turned approver out on bail.
Referring to his sister Sharmila, he said, “one or two of my own” have aligned with opponents “for selfish political gains”.
Following the rally, Suneetha has reportedly retorted that Jagan was sharing the stage with the real accused in his public meetings.
#WhoKilledBabai (uncle) has been a popular hashtag promoted by pro-TDP pages and supporters online.
Moreover, on 29 March, a movie titled ‘Vivekam: A biopic of Vivekananda Reddy’ — which claims to be “a political crime mystery based on the CBI chargesheet — was uploaded on a YouTube channel called ‘TDP activist’. The movie garnered 2.4 million views in four days.
Kadapa — the YS family stronghold
Located in the arid Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, Kadapa has been a stronghold of the Yeduguri Sandinti (YS) family for about four decades now. CM Jagan’s father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), represented Kadapa as MP from 1989 to 1999. Subsequently, his uncle and YSR’s brother Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy held the position from 1999 to 2009. Jagan succeeded them, winning the seat in 2009 — elected first time to a legislature when his father steered the Congress to a consecutive victory in the unified Andhra Pradesh.
Following his departure from the Congress to establish the YSRCP in 2011, Jagan clinched re-election from Kadapa in the bypolls, securing a majority of around 5.5 lakh votes. In 2014, his cousin Avinash assumed the MP role for Kadapa.
Sharmila Tuesday said that it was “Viveka uncle’s last desire to see her as Kadapa MP.”
“My dad and uncle were like Rama-Laxmana,” she said.
Viveka, as he is popularly known, was YSR’s younger brother. Functioning in the shadow of the more charismatic YSR, Viveka had served as Pulivendula MLA and Kadapa MP. A year after YSR’s demise in 2009, he was made a minister under Kiran Kumar Reddy.
In the 2011 Pulivendula bypoll, Viveka had lost to his sister-in-law i.e., YSR’s widow Y.S. Vijayamma. Pulivendula has been with the YS family since 1978.
‘Congress back in game in AP’
The Congress Tuesday announced its candidates for five out of 25 Lok Sabha and 114 out of 175 assembly seats in the state. Former Union ministers in UPA government M.M. Pallam Raju and J.D. Seelam have been nominated from Kakinada and Bapatla, while ex-APCC chief Gidugu Rudra Raju, who vacated the seat for Sharmila, is nominated in Rajahmundry. Ram Pullaiah Yadav, who till recently was with TDP, is the candidate from Kurnool.
Since the 2014 Andhra Pradesh bifurcation, the Congress, in power for two consecutive terms till then, was routed in the state.
“But Sharmila’s entry seems to be turning the tide as the Congress is managing to get candidates and proclaim its presence here. If she soldiers on like this, Congress could grow here again in five years at the expense of whoever is going to lose the assembly polls now — TDP or YSRCP,” said Mysura.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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