Botcha, Sharmila in Gandhi or brandy legacy battle

• Botcha reminds Sharmila of his 'services' to YSR
• Says her outburst is due to frustration
• Asks her to recall his 'help' to the family
• Says YSRCP lost direction
• Ducks on issue of Cong DNA in YSRCP

Hyderabad: PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana on Thursday launched a no-holds barred verbal attack on former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and his family members. Botcha was apparently miffed at the remark made by Y S Sharmila who during her padayatra in Vizianagaram wanted to know if Botcha was appointed as PCC president for inheriting the legacy of Gandhi or brandy. At a press conference here, Botcha said Sharmila should first look into the dictionary to know the meaning of legacy and then retorted: "Is it fair on her part to make such remarks. I ask her to remember that her father the late YSR used to consume brandy every day, all the 365 days of the year. Can she deny this fact? Does that mean that she is now carrying such a legacy?" The PCC president asked Sharmila to recollect how she had met him along with her husband when he was an MP and sought his help to save Anil Kumar when he had committed some misdeeds. Botcha said he would like her to recall the services he had rendered to them at that time. When pointed out that YSR was the Congress leader and all of them including Botcha had rallied behind him, the PCC president said, "I don't deny that but as a family member I have every right to retort and remind them of how they utilized my services and now out of frustration and unable to defend themselves from the charges leveled against the family they are accusing everyone." The YSRCP does not have faith in government, in judiciary or democracy. The recent Supreme Court judgment that those in jails cannot contest polls seems to have added to their worries, he said. When reminded about the comment made by AICC in-charge of state affairs Digvijay Singh that Jagan's party has Congress DNA, he ducked a reply. Referring to the deeksha taken up by YSRCP honorary president Y S Vijayamma, the PCC president said that the party seems to have lost direction and does not have any programme or policy. The fee reimbursement scheme was now being implemented very effectively. The deeksha, he said, was in support of those institutions which have been cheating the government. He further alleged that she was encouraging the policy of "loot the wealth of public and stash it in the party coffers." Replying to another question, he said all political parties including the YSRCP should realise that all the claims they have been making of routing the Congress have been proved wrong as the supporters of Congress party had won unanimously in more than 55% of the 2,000 panchayat elections.