Telangana is India’s Afghanistan, says Sharmila

HYDERABAD: YSR Telangana Party President Y.S. Sharmila on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, terming him "Taliban".

"Telangana is Afghanistan of India and KCR is its Taliban," Sharmila told reporters in Hyderabad, hours after she was arrested by the police in Mahabubabad and her padyatra stopped.

Sharmila, who was brought to Hyderabad by police after arresting her at Mahabubabad on allegations of making inappropriate remarks against a local MLA of ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), also termed KCR a dictator and a tyrant.

"There is no Indian constitution in Telangana. There is only the KCR Constitution," she alleged.

Stating that KCR does not understand democratic language, she said they may have to approach the court again for a fresh permission for padyatra.

Sharmila said it was BRS MLA Shankar Naik who had made objectionable comments against her and instead of taking action against him, the police arrested her.

She alleged BRS leaders were using abusive words and resorting to physical attacks on YSRTP cadres and disrupting her padyatra.

"I made an allegation that the MLA is grabbing thousands of acres. Unable to bear the questioning by a woman, he used objectionable language," she said.

Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was arrested by the police from her night halt camp in Mahabubabad town and shifted to Hyderabad to prevent any law and order problems.

A case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 504A (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and section 3 (1) R of Scheduled Castes Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was registered against Sharmila at Mahabubabad town police station on a complaint by a local BRS leader.

Meanwhile, BRS workers staged a protest in Mahabubabad against Sharmila. They burnt the posters of BRS and raised slogans of 'Sharmila, go back'.

After a break of more than two months, Sharmila had resumed her Praja Prasthanam Padyatra early this month.

She resumed the padyatra in Warangal district from the place where it was stopped in November last year.

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.