GUNTUR: Although the ongoing spat over the division of assets between siblings -- YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief YS Sharmila -- looks like a family issue, it is likely to have far-reaching political ramifications.
Sharmila has accused her brother and former Chief Minister of not obliging by their father’s (YS Rajasekhara Reddy) mandate to divide the assets equally among the four grandchildren, and dragging her and their mother YS Vijayamma to court. In a bid to downplay the rivalry, once the issue became public, Jagan termed the dispute a ‘family matter’ and ‘ghar ghar ki kahani (every household’s story).
Through open letters and emotional press conferences, Sharmila has been trying to establish that despite working tirelessly for YSRC’s success in 2019, she and their mother were dragged to court. “What has Jagan Mohan Reddy done for me? Can he answer this?” she challenged the YSRC chief, accusing him of subjecting her and her children to injustice.
With the MLC (Graduate and Teachers Constituency) elections around the corner, the ‘family dispute’ has put the YSRC, which suffered a severe drubbing in the general elections, on the back foot.
Interestingly, while the grand old party and the BJP have steered clear of the conflict, the TDP has launched a full blown social media campaign against the former chief minister in a bid to portray him as a selfish person and have raised questions over his credibility. Besides the yellow party leaders, State leadership of neither the Congress nor the BJP have said a word on the matter.
The whole issue reflects Jagan’s true colours, opined TDP senior leader Alapati Rajendra Prasad. “While the legalities of the case are not our concern, the manner in which he has dragged his mother and sister -- who strived for his victory in the 2019 elections -- shows his lack of integrity towards his family and the people of the State,” he remarked.
The YSRC leaders, who have switched to damage control mode, were reportedly given clear instructions to focus on showing how Sharmila has been acting as per the agenda of the TDP, led by party supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
“The message that she has been trapped by Naidu to conspire against Jagan and send him to jail should be deeply embedded in the people. Jagan’s objective is to ensure that people do not get a wrong impression about him,” YSRC sources said.
Former energy minister and YSRC regional coordinator (Kadapa) Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy accused Sharmila of reading from Naidu’s script. Speaking to mediapersons in Kadapa on Saturday, he maintained that there was no need to pay much attention to the issue as facts were available for everyone to see.
Stating that Sharmila might receive some sympathy from the public with her emotional press meetings and highlighting how Jagan tarnished YSR’s legacy, a political analyst observed, “The YSR family has a great reputation in the State. However, the property dispute between the siblings might cause extensive damage to Jagan’s image.”
The analyst also opined that Sharmila might be trying to achieve her long-time goal to replace Jagan as YSR’s political successor in the State.