“Trounce the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party and ensure victory of YSR Congress in the next elections to put an end to your woes,” Y.S. Sharmila, daughter of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, told people on the second day of her ‘Maro Praja Prasthanam’ padayatra on Friday.
She inspected banana plantation, groundnut and cotton crops and interacted with farmers and spoke to women, pensioners and students during the padayatra from Rajiv Nagar Colony in Vempalle to Vemula mandal headquarters, a stretch of 19 kms. in Pulivendula constituency. Ms. Sharmila walked briskly along with party MLA Sobha Nagi Reddy, former Minister Konda Surekha and official spokeswoman Vasireddy Padma and others, while her mother Y.S. Vijayamma followed her in a car and greeted the people.
Women raised slogans in support of YSRC president and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and raised slogans demanding his release.
Pension hike promised
Ms. Sharmila promised enhancement of old age and widow pensions to Rs. 600 a month and monthly assistance of Rs. 500 per child for education if Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy gained power. She slammed Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy for not purchasing requisite power from other States resulting in a worst power crisis and shelving irrigation projects conceived by her father. At Nandipalle, a groundnut farmer lamented that groundnut crop in his two and half acres withered away causing loss of Rs. 50,000, but no official visited to assess the crop loss. She got a rousing welcome in Duggannagaripalle village. When a woman, whose husband required kidney transplantation, thanked Ms. Vijayamma for giving Rs. 20,000 towards assistance. Sharmila assured to bear expenses of surgery if she got a kidney donor.
After lunch she proceeded to Ammayyagaripalle, V. Kothapalle and Vemula, where she made a night halt. Party leaders Y.V. Subba Reddy, Nellore MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, official spokesman, Ambati Rambabu and MLAs B. Karunakar Reddy, N. Prasanna Kumar Reddy, K.K. Mahender Reddy, G. Babu Rao, A. Amarnath Reddy, G. Srikanth Reddy and K. Srinivasulu, former Kadapa Mayor P. Raveendranath Reddy, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy participated.
