Prove Your Telangana Identity: Revanth Challenges Sharmila

Congress firebrand leader Revanth Reddy challenged YSR daughter Y.S. Sharmila to stand at Kondareddy Fort in Kurnool and declare that she would fight against any force trying to divert and deprive Krishna water to the people in Telangana.

The Congress MP said that it was the injustice regarding sharing of Krishna water between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that drove the Telangana agitation. The Krishna water dispute triggered the Telangana agitation and it is because the rightful share of waters was not given to Telangana that land in south Telangana, including Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts, turned barren and lakhs of youth emigrated in search of jobs.

Sharmila’s brother and AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is constructing several projects including Pothireddypadu, Sangambanda reservoir, other canals adjoining Sunkesula barrage in the catchment area of Krishna river.

He also filed cases against the Telagnana government that it was constructing projects on River Godavari illegally. Sharmila should announce that her brother Jagan Mohan Reddy is doing injustice to the people in Telangana and express her readiness to fight against him to save the rights of Telangana people. Only then will she have the moral right to claim herself to be a representative of Telangana people, he said.

Revanth Reddy reminded that Jagan and Sharmila herself too walked for thousands of kilometres during Telangana agitation creating awareness among people about why the movement for separate Telangana should be resisted. Thousands of Telangana youth ended their lives in the frustration that their dreams of securing jobs and living independently were getting crushed in united Andhra Pradesh.

Sharmila should stand before the Telangana Martyrs Memorial and urge the parents of 1,200 youth who sacrificed their life for the cause of Telangana to forgive her in the wake of the yatra taken out by her for united Andhra Pradesh. Does she have the strength and commitment to do this, he asked.

Technically, any Indian can float a political party in the country even though it is not his birth place but the way YSR family had turned Telangana state into a laboratory for their monetary gains is condemnable, he said.

People in Telangana have respect and affection towards YSR but they cannot believe leaders from Rayalaseema as they would not fight for the cause of Telangana’s ‘neellu, nidhulu and niyamakalu’ when the real time for the struggle comes, he pointed out.

The youth and even farmers of Telangana, under the leadership of several martyrs like Komarambheem, took up an armed struggle against Razakars deployed by the Nizam rulers for freedom.

Later, Telangana people also had to argue with the Andhra rulers who looted Telangana resources. Telangana people fought for social justice, separate state and self-governance and achieved them. “Now, Sharmila wants to cross the barriers and launch her own political party here. Does she want to dictate terms in Telangana and create chaos in the state again,” he questioned.

The TRS leaders, who used to fight against every Andhra leader earlier, are now maintaining a stoic silence with regard to Sharmila and her political outfit, Revanth pointed out.

“During 2018 elections, KCR criticised the Congress for forging an alliance with the TDP and even questioned if files from Telangana state should be taken to Amaravati as people who take decisions on crucial issues would be in Andhra Pradesh,” Reddy reminded and questioned why was he not passing any comments on Sharmila, who also belongs to Seemandhra region.

Revanth Reddy said that Telanganites want to know the person at whose behest Sharmila got ready to float her political outfit.