KADAPA: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila Reddy staged a novel protest on Wednesday, offering coconuts in front of the Kadapa Collectorate, demanding the establishment of the long-promised Kadapa Steel Plant.
Sharmila, accompanied by Congress leaders, broke coconuts to symbolise their disappointment with the TDP-led NDA government and the previous YSRC government for failing to fulfil their promises.
Later, Sharmila, along with a large number of activists, submitted a representation letter to Kadapa District Collector Dr Sreedhar Cherukuri, urging immediate action on the construction of the steel plant.
Criticising both the TDP-led NDA government and the previous YSRC regime, Sharmila alleged that they failed to deliver on promises made to the people of Kadapa. She highlighted how foundation stones for the project had been laid multiple times without meaningful progress. “With three instances of coconut breaking by two Chief Ministers, the Kadapa Steel Plant project has been reduced to a mere symbolic exercise. It started with Chandrababu Naidu in 2018 and continued with Jagan in 2019 and 2023, but nothing concrete has come out of it,” Sharmila said.
Taking a dig at Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy, she questioned his inaction. Avinash Reddy has won twice as MP but failed to move the project an inch forward, she said.