The political career of YSR Telangana Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y S Sharmila might not be a success story, but she has definitely made a mark for herself by undertaking the longest padayatra in both the Telugu states.
On February 19 this year when she was forced to terminate her “Maro Praja Prasthanam” padayatra abruptly at Mahabubabad at the fag end of her journey following her arrest by the police for her inflammatory comments against Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his party’s local MLA Shankar Naik.
By then, Sharmila, which began her padayatra on October 20, 2021, at Chevella, covered over 3,800 km and she was expected to complete 4,111 km when the padayatra was scheduled to conclude at Palair constituency in Khammam district by March 5.
This 3,800 km padayatra itself was an unprecedented record. She is the first person and also the first woman to achieve this feat. And for that she entered the Indian Book of Records.
On Tuesday, representatives of Indian Book of Records met Sharmila and handed over the certificate to her, besides complimenting her for the rare feat.
It may be recalled that on February 19, Sharmila was taken into preventive custody by the police in Mahabubabad district in connection with a case booked against her for making alleged derogatory remarks against BRS MLA Banoth Shankar Naik and was brought to Hyderabad.
Sharmila was booked under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following a complaint by a local BRS leader, who accused her of 'insulting' the legislator belonging to the tribal community.
She also accused the chief minister of acting like a "Taliban" and termed the state as the "Afghanistan of India.” She alleged that KCR was a dictatory and tyrant.
“There is no Indian Constitution in Telangana. There is only KCR's Constitution. Telangana is the Afghanistan of India and KCR (as Rao is known as) is its Taliban.”
The police said they had cancelled permission for the foot march citing the law and order situation, as her statement triggered protests by BRS party personnel, demanding action against Sharmila.
