Sharmila- the name is enough

Mar 24, 2013, 17:03 IST

Sharmila, the name did not ring a bell till a few months ago. She was only known as the daughter of the late AP CM Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The person who had earlier confined herself to the homes, has now become a household name. Thanks to her grit and determination to relentlessly carry forward her padayatra against all odds, Sharmila is now synonymous with style and persistence.

The moment one hears the name Sharmila, the echo that is heard from every nook and corner of the country is that she's the arrow of her brother and the YSRCP president, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
When Sharmila kick-started her foot march titled 'Maro Praja Prasthanam' little did she know that she would go on to become a superwoman and an idol to many villagers who flock to her public meetings. On the very first day, the first few sentences that Sharmila uttered were "I am your Rajanna's daughter and sister of your Jagan Anna, My name is Sharmila." It's been 100 days since she started her padayatra and the YSRCP leader has established her own identity now.

Popularity breeds jealousy. And this has been true in case of Jagan. Till the day he was sent to jail, the YSRCP president was on the job—offering solace to people in distress. The day he was jailed, the one question and worry that haunted Jagan was how he was going to maintain public contact. And who will be a pillar of support for those in need. This is where the sibling love came to the rescue. His sister Sharmila came forward to assure him that she was willing to fulfill his dream. Despite being aware of the hurdles and hardships she has to undergo, Sharmila announced that she would begin her padayatra without any second thoughts.

Sharmila chose to start off her mission from Idupulapaya, the heart of the Rayalaseema region in YSR district. On the D Day (i.e. October 18, 2012), a sea of humanity hailing from across the country gathered at the place to express their solidarity with Sharmila. Thousands of supporters, well-wishers, party workers cheered the YSRCP leader with slogans to be a part of her historic trip. People from all walks of life congratulated Sharmila before she set off on her 3000-km walkathon from Idupulapaya to Ichachapuram on the Odisha border

YSR's daughter began her walkathon titled 'Maro Praja Prastanam', a repeat of her father’s 1,600-km long padayatra in 2003. Seeing the large public presence on Day 1 of Sharmila's padayatra, many political parties and even the High Command wrote her off saying the huge number of people was only because it was the first day. None even thought Sharmila's padayatra will make her and the party more popular. Ever since, there was no looking back for the YSRCP leader. The attention that her padayatra has garnered has grown by leaps and bounds, giving other parties sleepless nights. Sources say, the enormous public support that Sharmila has received has even made the High Command jittery with the AICC vice-president even enquiring if YSRCP's growing popularity would pose a threat to Congress in the upcoming elections. Be it Rayalaseema, Telangana or even the coastal Andhra, Sharmila has only received immense support and love from the people of the respective region.

While TDP dubbed Sharmila's injury as fake, some others said that was the end of Sharmila padayatra. Although the details of Sharmila's surgery at Apollo was covered by every media, parties made it a political issue. They resorted to mudslinging just to bring down the popularity of YSRCP. However, that was not to be.

Although Sharmila called off padayatra, she was itching to get back and prove her detractors wrong. After a month's break, Sharmila was back with a bang on February 6. The YSRCP leader started her second innings and this time with more zeal.

On the day she resumed her foot march, Sharmila said she was firm about accomplishing her mission (3000-km padayatra) as she wanted to fulfill the promise made to her brother and people. And on the day of her return too, the crowd was massive proving the fact that 'out of sight was not out of mind'. Her absence hadn't affected the connection the party had with the people.

Unable to digest the fact that Sharmila had made a successful comeback, the opposition parties decided to play another of their dirty tricks. This time they targeted Sharmila's husband Anil Kumar. Yet, the YSRCP leader remained unfazed. Sharmila maintained her composure and greeted people with affection.
Wherever Sharmila went, she gave a word of assurance to people—that Jagan will bring back the golden era of YSR. She conducted Rachabanda meetings in all the regions she visited to learn about the problems of the people.

Sharmila has so far walked 1,380 kms spread across 43 municipalities. Over 75 lakh people have walked along.

Today, Sharmila has crossed a milestone in her mission. She has touched the century mark. The YSRCP leader has proved that nothing can stop them from accomplishing their mission. It's celebration time for the YSRCP supporters. Soon, the party will become a name to reckon with.

- Siva@Sakshipost