TIRUPATI: A teary eyed APCC chief YS Sharmila hit back at her brother and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy over the nepotism remarks made against her.
Addressing a press conference at the DCC office at Kadapa on Friday, Sharmila faulted Jagan's remarks that she was power hungry and had he promoted her political ambitions, it could have led to nepotism and corruption.
"My brother should answer to the people of the state about who brought me into politics in the very first place. When Jagan went to jail and by-elections for 19 assembly constituencies were scheduled, it was Jagan who asked me to embark on a padayatra. Jagan was afraid that TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu's graph could go up as he had already started his padayatra, which is why he chose me to go on a padayatra. Similarly, Jagan also asked me to undertake the Odarpu yatra in Telangana, the Samaikyandhra yatra in AP and also the "Bye Bye Babu" campaign in the past", Sharmila recalled.
Reiterating that since she never had any political ambitions for her and that during all those campaigns which she shouldered in the past, she had only portrayed Jagan as the true successor of their father and former Chief minister Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Sharmila asked Jagan to realise that she could have hijacked the YSRCP party itself as all the leaders rallied around her leadership when he was in jail.
Sharmila dared Jagan if he can make a promise on the Bible and claim that she demanded him for political positions or monetary benefits ever from him in the past.
The APCC chief also questioned the CM that when already several of his relatives including Kamalapuram MLA P Ravindranath Reddy, Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy were in active politics, did that not lead to nepotism and corruption.
Claiming that she had seen top-most power when her father was the Chief minister of the state, Sharmila will continue her fight to relive the ideals of her father and will not be cowed down by the smear campaign unleashed on her by the YSRCP social media paid artists.