Sharmila to resume padyatra in Telangana on Jan 28

HYDERABAD: After a break of two months, YSR Telangana Party president Y.S. Sharmila will resume her Praja Prasthanam Padyatra on January 28.

Announcing that she would resume the padyatra from the place where it was stopped by the state government last month, she vowed to continue her fight against "KCR rule".

She came down heavily on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, popularly called KCR, for what she called failing the state on every parameter and every front.

Sharmila said KCR was shockingly setting for national politics, while failing Telangana's aspirations and keeping people in deep distress, for the last nine years.

"It has been only the YSRTP that steadfastly and unconditionally took on KCR and his corrupt and tyrannical government. We never bowed down even when they tried hard to corner us, abusing power and authority. With honesty in our intentions and affection for Telangana, and above all, recalling the people-friendly reign of YSR, we travelled across Telangana and covered 3,500 km, only to be troubled and threatened by KCR, who was now scared of our growing prominence and the manner in which we exposed their local MLAs and MPs," said Sharmila, daughter of former (undivided) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

"We will continue to battle his inefficient rule marked by failed promises, as we did with Kaleshwaram or Palamuru or unemployment or other issues. The countdown for the end of this corrupt regime has begun," she said.

On the occasion, she mocked the BRS for their "failed" Khammam show and their dramatics to expand across the country, while failing in the state. "My entry to Paleru has rocked his morale and now he realised that the YSRTP is growing in its popularity and presence in the entire district along with contiguous parts of Nalgonda."

Sharmila also ruled out early elections to the Telangana Assembly, as she claimed KCR was not ready to take on the anti-incumbency and abandon the much-needed stature as a CM to travel across the country.

She also lashed out at state Congress chief Revanth Reddy and state BJP President Bandi Sanjay for their inefficiency to "effectively expose KCR and his corruption".

BRS workers had allegedly set afire her bus and pelted stones on other vehicles in Warangal district on November 28. Later, police arrested Sharmila as she refused to call off the padyatra in view of the tense situation in the area.

Sharmila was later shifted to Hyderabad. The next day, she was arrested again amid high drama while leading a protest march towards the Chief Minister's official residence.

She was driving a car damaged in the attack and wanted to stage a protest in front of the Chief Minister's residence. The police, however, stopped her enroute. When she refused to come out of the car, the police towed it away to a police station.

The padyatra, however, could not resume as the police had not given the permission.

The YSRTP approached Telangana High Court, which asked asked Sharmila to abide by the conditions imposed earlier while allowing her to resume the walkathon.