Sharmila jibes, TDP cadre cool

Activists throng Collectorate as rival parties file nomination papers

YSRC honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma and her daughter Sharmila acknowledging greetings from supporters even as cadres of their party and TDP come across each other at the Collectorate in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Telugu Desam workers and supporters, keeping their cool when YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s sister Sharmila made some provocative statements, avoided a major trouble in front of the Collectorate here on Thursday as the nominations for the Lok Sabha and State Assembly were being accepted.

Large groups of YSR Congress and Telugu Desam, who accompanied their leaders -- Sharmila’s mother and YSRC honorary president Y.S. Vijayalakshmi (Vijayamma) and MLA of Visakha East V. Ramakrishna Babu respectively -- were coming across each other as Ms. Sharmila started her speech after her mother filed her nomination papers and Mr. Ramakrishna Babu was filing his papers inside the Collectorate.

Ms. Sharmila started her speech by ‘thanking’ the TDP cadre for their presence there and her sarcastic remark was taken lightly, but the police personnel and the people around apprehended trouble when she wanted all the TDP workers except their leader Chandrababu Naidu to join the YSRC. She went on to criticise the Telugu Desam president alleging that he did not support the no-confidence motion moved against the Congress government for avoiding inquiries against him. She also accused Mr. Naidu of ‘back-stabbing’ his father-in-law N.T. Rama Rao. Calling the TDP cadre as ‘Telugu tammullu’, Ms. Sharmila said: “Did he not eye his father-in-law’s chair after being admitted into the Telugu Desam and back-stab him to grab power? How could you tolerate such a person as your leader?”

She went on to say that they were all her brothers and after his brother (Jagan) becomes Chief Minister they too could be benefited.

The Telugu Desam workers waved their hands to show that they were not interested in the YSRC. They, however, did not resort to violent methods.

Though the TDP workers did not react in a violent manner, a party leader, while addressing the party workers, said the remarks of Ms. Sharmila were not in a good taste. She should not provoke other party workers. Visakhapatnam was a peaceful place and she should not spoil it.