Democracy will not survive if dictator comes to power again: Sharmila

Tirupati: APCC president Y S Sharmila Reddy lambasted the YSRCP government saying that if such dictators come to power again, democracy will not survive.

Addressing a public meeting at Nagari in Chittoor district on Sunday evening, she said that ruling party people have been making adverse and abusive comments against her and other family members. The Chief Minister is not even having the common sense that she is his sister and encouraging such mean acts by his partymen, Sharmila lamented.

Saying that honesty is in her heart like her father and former Chief Minister late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Sharmila said that she will fight for the people of AP till justice is done to them. It is Congress party only which has respect towards YSR and his ideologies. CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy though included YSR in his party’s name, he has completely ignored those ideologies and worked against them. While YSR’s first priority was farmers and he always worked for their welfare and made agriculture a festival, Jagan has completely ignored them and pushed every farmer into debts. Jagan has not implemented any policies of YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

While YSR always dreamt of ‘Jala Yagnam’ and took up several irrigation projects, the present government has not completed even one project in its five year tenure.

Trying to impress upon the people that she will be the saviour of the State, Sharmila said that bifurcation promises will become a reality only with Congress government at the Centre. “I will not leave the state till the State capital and Polavaram project are completed and the State gets special category status (SCS),” she underlined.

Sharmila exposed the failures of both the opposition and ruling parties in getting the promises fulfilled as they colluded with the Central government. They could not complete the State capital in the last 10 years and not even laid one step ahead in that direction. It means they took the State 50 steps backward as they left AP without having a capital.

In the absence of SCS, no major industry has come to the State due to which, the youth were forced to leave the State in search of jobs. The present government has also deceived the youth by trying to fill only 6,000 plus posts while there are 30,000 vacancies in teacher posts.

“The BJP has no MLA or MP representing AP but it could take complete control of the State with the lenient attitude of Jagan and Chandrababu Naidu. They both have been making a triangular love story with the BJP ignoring the State’s future and the bifurcation promises”, she criticised.

Criticising local MLA and Minister for Tourism and Culture R K Roja, Sharmila said, “Though she is the Minister, her husband and two brothers are also de facto Ministers. All these four together are looting the constituency on every front. Gravel, sand, government lands etc., are being looted. Anyone wants to develop a layout, they need to pay tax to Roja,” she alleged.

She could not even change the electricity slabs for power loom workers who have been suffering with the hefty power bills. Referring to adverse comments on her, Sharmila made it clear that Roja has no right to make such comments and recalled that in the neighbouring State, the people have defeated those who make such comments. Congress Working Committee member N Raghuveera Reddy and AP Youth Congress president P Rakesh Reddy were also present.