Is Chandrababu Behind Sharmila's Entry Into Congress?

They say political interests can bring together people who otherwise have little in common. This seems to be true in the case of YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) chief YS Sharmila who joined the Congress party in New Delhi on Thursday. 

She was welcomed into the party fold by the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at the AICC headquarters in the national capital. Sharmila is the sister of chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. As per reports, Congress may appoint her as the General Secretary of AICC. 

Political forces inimical to the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) may have influenced and convinced her to join the opposition camp. Recently, Anil Kumar, husband of Sharmila, met with the TDP in-charge of Pulivendula Assembly constituency, Mareddi Ravindranath Reddy, who is popularly known as B.Tech Ravi. The pictures of their meeting are being circulated on social media. This makes one suspect the role of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu behind her induction into the Congress camp. 

Also Read: Sharmila Joins Congress: Here is What She Said

In the past, Sharmila stood like a rock behind her brother Jagan’s mission in Andhra Pradesh. Later, she parted ways and floated a political party (YSRTP) in Telangana. CM Jagan, as a brother, advised her against joining politics. She did not agree with him and charted her own political path. The chief minister YS Jagan made it clear that she’s decided to plunge into politics and chosen her own path. 

It is not clear what post Sharmila will get in the Congress party. However, it is quite clear that both the Congress and TDP are hellbent on bringing her into Andhra Pradesh politics to achieve their own goals of targeting the chief minister YS Jagan and his party. It is worth mentioning here that while campaigning for Congress ahead of Telangana Assembly elections, the present minister Tummala Nageswara Rao had said that if Congress is voted to power in the state, it will have its ripple effect in Andhra Pradesh too. This comment had dropped enough clues that the Congress is up to something in state politics. The Congress leaders believe that CM Jagan is responsible for the complete wipeout of the party in the state. 

YS Sharmila will find the level-playing field in Andhra Pradesh politics if she does not fall into the trap of Congress and TDP. It is common for the members of the same family to join different political parties. Despite all the brouhaha surrounding her entry into AP politics, the chief minister YS Jagan gave a warm welcome to his sister YS Sharmila during her recent visit to his house to invite her brother and his family for the wedding of her son. Unlike the TDP chief Naidu, who had faced humiliation at the hands of party founder NT Rama Rao in 1995 when he and his wife Bhuvaneswari visited his residence to meet him.

(With inputs from Kommineni Srinivas Rao, Chairman, AP Media Academy)

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