The YSR Congress dismissed as baseless the allegations of the Telugu Desam Party that it trying to utilise services of YSR's daughter Sharmila to keep the party warm and then sideline her as soon as party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy gets bail.
"Sharmila herself came forward to take up the yatra. Jagan Reddy supported her. Where is the question of 'exploiting' and 'marginalising' her?" YSR Congress leader and former minister Konatala Ramakrishna questioned.
Replying to a question at a news conference here on Monday, he said that YSR and his family members were born leaders. "Sharmila inherited the leadership traits from her father. Like her brother, she too is a leader in her own own right. They are continuing the political legacy," Ramakrishna added.
Asked if there was any proposal to make her the working president so she could speak on behalf of the party, Ramakrishna said it was not necessary since she drew that authority by virtue of being the daughter of the late YSR and Jagan Reddy's sister.
On TDP's criticism of the party that it was making a woman undergo the strain of walking 3,000 km for political benefit, Ramakrishna said no one had forced Sharmila to go on a padayatra.