Arrow Sharmila shoots off yatra

YSR Congress Party
chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister and the late visionary leader YSR’s
daughter Sharmila described herself as the arrow released by her brother Jagan
before kicking off her historical 3000 km long Maro Praja Prasthanam from
Idupulapaya in YSR district on Thursday.

Launching her mega foot
march, Sharmila said her Padayatra has two objectives. The first one is to
highlight the failures of the Government and the second one is to question TDP
chief Chandrababu Naidu’s failure in introducing no-confidence motion against
the non-performing Government of Kiran Kumar Reddy, she said addressing the
crowds.

She said she is the
arrow released by her brother Jagan. “As YSR’s daughter and Jagan’s sister and
also as an ordinary worker of the YSRCP, I am launching my Padayatra and I
request you to accompany me during the Yatra and support it,” she appealed to
the people who gathered in thousands to witness the Yatra launching.

Coming down heavily on
TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, Sharmila said Naidu failed to keep the two
promises that brought the party into power. “TDP promised to implement the Rs.2
kg rice scheme and introduce complete prohibition but Naidu failed on both the
counts,” she said, adding that Naidu had no intention of keeping his promises
then. “Now also, he has no intention of keeping his promises now,” she said.

She said Naidu had
completely forgotten the farmers during his regime and neglected agriculture
and the farming community. “During the Naidu’s regime, several farmers
committed suicides unable to pay the loans,” Sharmila said and asked whether Naidu
is not sinful and responsible for the suicides.

TDP regime enhanced
power charges eight times in the eight years and Naidu called the agricultural
sector a waste, she thundered.

Accusing Naidu of
enacting a yellow drama and shedding crocodile tears, Sharmila castigated Naidu
saying neither TDP nor Naidu is sincere in his padayatra. “If he is so sincere
about the failures of the Government, why didn’t he introduce a no-confidence
motion against this Government which has failed on all counts?” Sharmila roared
amid cheers by the mammoth crowd.

Sharmila accused
Congress and TDP of conspiring against Jagan who has gained unfettered
popularity and jailing him. “Unable to bear Jagan’s growing popularity, they
have been in cahoots against Jagan and jailed him while Naidu himself has been
managing to come out the cases filed against him through his secret meetings
with Union Minister Chidambaram and other leaders.

(Updated on Oct 18,
2012)