Y S Sharmila, daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and incumbent CM Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, has been carrying out a series of meetings with YSR loyalists in Telangana in what is likely an attempt to eke out a support-base before launching her party in the state.
Today, she conducted a similar meeting with her late father's supporters from Warangal, and spoke about his "special bond" with the district.
After paying rich tributes to a portrait of K Jayashankar, the leader began her address. Elaborating on YSR's bond with the district, she said, "My father always had a special place in his heart for Warangal for it is a historically significant district, and the cultural capital of the state. During his tenure as CM, my father had ensured the completion of 80% of the Sriram Sagar project which has benefitted large parts of the district."
"Warangal was the home of the Kakatiya ruler Rani Rudramma and has given to us great poets like Kaloji Narayana Rao. It saddens me to see that the district has not been developed in a comprehensive way. The city of Warangal would have been developed completely if my father was still alive - he had always wanted to turn the region into an IT hub," Sharmila added.
Lashing out at the TRS regime, she accused it of having neglected the area. She also alleged that the ruling party had not even bothered to appoint a Vice-Chancellor at the well-known Kakatiya University, and that it had violently repressed the university's students for raising questions against its "misrule" and "neglect".
The leader has been busy garnering support for her new party which will reportedly be
launched at a huge public meeting to be held in Khammam this April.