Newly-appointed Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Sharmila has made a strong entry into Andhra Pradesh politics, immediately targeting her brother and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
As an opposition party leader, it is expected that she would criticize the policies and programs of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. However, what surprised analysts was the tone and language she used while targeting Jagan.
Prior to their rift, she would refer to him as "Jagananna," but on Sunday, her language became more aggressive, addressing her brother as "Jagan Reddy," a term commonly used by Telugu Desam Party leaders, notably party president N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh.
Throughout her speech, Sharmila consistently referred to her brother as "Jagan Reddy," seemingly to convey the message that he was favoring only the Reddy community. She highlighted the increase in atrocities against Dalits in the last five years.
In an apparent effort to appeal to minorities, especially Christians, and draw them away from the YSRCP, Sharmila questioned the silence of "Jagan Reddy" on atrocities against Christians and the burning of churches in Manipur.
She aimed to emphasize that despite Jagan's claim to be a pro-minority leader, he was allegedly collaborating with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sharmila accused him of compromising on the special category status to appease the BJP.
In the days to come, Sharmila is expected to intensify her attack against Jagan.
Analysts anticipate that she might bring the internal disputes of the YSR family, including the murder of Y S Vivekananda Reddy, into the public domain during her public speeches.
