The ex-chief minister of Andhra Pradesh seems to have a soft spot for his sister, who is slightly younger than him. Little did he anticipate her desire to claim a portion of their father’s inheritance.
Jagan Mohan Reddy, the leader of the YSR CONGRESS Party, has publicly acknowledged the strained relationship with his sister Y S Sharmila. In a written statement, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister has confirmed the distance between them, signaling a possible conclusion to the once strong bond between the siblings.
Jagan accused Sharmila of wrongfully acquiring shares in a power company by leveraging their mother Y S Vijaya Lakshmi’s (also known as Vijayamma) identity, as mentioned in his grievance filed with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
In the past, this scenario would have appeared unlikely. Jagan, who is nearly 52 years old, and Sharmila, aged 50, have a close relationship since childhood. They used to celebrate festivals and holidays together, and even after getting married, their spouses and children became an integral part of these joyous occasions.
Politics intervened between the siblings in question, with the significant inheritance of their deceased father and Congress veteran Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, commonly known as YSR, playing a pivotal role.
In an ironic twist of fate, Sharmila’s presence at the beginning gave Jagan the initial push he required. Isolated from the Congress, he faced a CBI case upon asserting his father’s heritage. By May 2012, the authorities had imprisoned him. Subsequently, Jagan’s wife, Y S Bharathi, and sister Sharmila spearheaded the battle on his behalf.
Sharmila initially took over the bypoll that Jagan was campaigning for before his arrest, and later, in October 2012, embarked on a padyatra to show her support for him.
In the realm of politics, foot marches have been a significant element in the successful trajectories of both YSR and Jagan. Sharmila, following suit, embarked on a padyatra spanning almost 3,000 km from her hometown of Idupulapaya in YSR Kadapa district to Ichachapuram in Srikakulam. The pivotal moment arrived on September 23, 2013, when Jagan regained his freedom upon release from jail.
Sharmila embarked on a yatra spanning approximately 1,500 km across Andhra Pradesh over an 11-day period on a bus in preparation for the 2019 Assembly elections, rallying for the YSRCP and Jagan’s support.
Upon assuming office with an overwhelming majority of 153 out of 175 seats in the Assembly elections, tensions reportedly surfaced. This victory, widely perceived as a tribute to YSR following his tragic demise in a plane crash, marked the beginning of discord within the party. Much to Sharmila’s disappointment, she discovered that there was little room for her within the political entity established by Jagan under their father’s legacy, even in administrative positions.
A member of the Jagan faction mentioned that Jagan always regarded Sharmila as a younger sister and showered her with affection. However, he never foresaw her harboring political aspirations. A family member stated, “He never imagined that she would pursue a political career while he strived to emulate YSR’s success.
Jagan gradually sidelined his mother, Y S Vijayamma, despite her being the honorary president of the YSRCP, as he consolidated real power in his own hands. While Sharmila raised objections and garnered backing from Vijayamma, Jagan managed to shift his mother aside as well.
According to an assistant, both the mother and daughter were taken aback by Jagan’s unwillingness to give up any control within the party or authority. The assistant notes, “Sharmila comes from a family deeply rooted in politics. Her father, brother, uncle, nephew are all involved in politics, and even her mother had an opportunity to run for office, yet she was consistently overlooked.
Sharmila faced a formidable challenge in the Andhra political arena as Jagan distanced himself, leaving her with little opportunity to leave a mark. The field was already saturated with prominent players such as the YSRCP and TDP led by N Chandrababu Naidu, the emerging JanaSena Party of K Pawan Kalyan, and the BJP and Congress.
The Telangana test
In April 2021, Sharmila took action after waiting for almost two years since Jagan assumed office as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, by unexpectedly appearing at the family’s abode, Lotus Pond, in Hyderabad.
Sharmila’s announcement on July 8, the birth anniversary of YSR, marked her intention to explore political opportunities in Telangana, now a separate state following the division from Andhra Pradesh under Jagan’s control. The inauguration of the ‘YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP)’ amidst a large gathering of YSR enthusiasts highlighted her strategic move.
Vijaya Lakshmi created a public stir when she announced her resignation as the honorary president of the party during the YSRCP plenary, much to Jagan’s displeasure. Despite her good wishes for Jagan’s success, she expressed her desire to back Sharmila in her political pursuits.
Sharmila embarked on the ‘Praja Prasthanam Yatra’ in October 2021, covering 33 districts of Telangana. During the foot march, she faced backlash from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (formerly Telangana Rashtra Samithi) members for her critique of the party leaders and the then Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. Despite being targeted multiple times during her padyatra, Sharmila persisted even as the state police attempted to obstruct her journey by refusing permission to proceed.
Nevertheless, the padyatra turned out to be enlightening as Sharmila faced the stark reality of not garnering the anticipated support while her financial resources rapidly dwindled. It was during this time that she came to the realization that fulfilling her commitment to run for multiple Assembly seats in Telangana would pose a significant challenge.
K Raghava Reddy, who previously worked closely with Sharmila in Telangana, stated that her attempts to lead the party resulted in further depletion of her resources. He mentioned that she had miscalculated the extent of the “political vacuum” in Telangana.
Sharmila was unable to access certain family assets due to delays in their division caused by Jagan’s ongoing court cases, as mentioned by the assistant referred to earlier.
The Congress factor
In the latter part of the previous year, faced with limited choices, Sharmila initiated contact with the Congress. This action intensified the tension with Jagan, who harbors resentful recollections of the events preceding his departure from the Congress in November 2010. During that period, the AICC leadership neglected him and rejected his request to appoint him as the Chief Minister following YSR’s passing. At that time, Jagan pledged that neither he nor his family would engage with the Congress in any capacity moving forward.
According to reports, Jagan perceived Sharmila’s decision as a betrayal when he was deeply involved in a challenging re-election campaign and up against the combined forces of TDP-BJP-JSP. An assistant mentioned that numerous relatives made efforts to discourage Sharmila from aligning herself with the Congress.
Sharmila was reportedly pressured by the Congress to directly confront Jagan, leading to her appointment as the Andhra PCC chief. Despite this circumstance, she had no option but to engage with him. Despite criticizing the Congress leadership, Jagan’s family members assert that he avoided speaking ill of Sharmila.
The outcome in Andhra Pradesh in May turned out to be unfavorable for both siblings, as the Congress failed to secure any seats, and the YSRCP suffered heavy losses. Tensions escalated between the two parties.
The row now
Jagan has denounced the transfer of shares belonging to him and his wife in Saraswati Power and Industries Ltd to his mother Vijayamma as being carried out in a manner he considers both “unlawful” and “misleading.
Jagan expressed in a letter to Sharmila that despite his feelings of love and care towards her, he felt that her responses lacked appreciation for his actions and concern for his welfare. He mentioned that her public statements and actions not only contradicted him politically but also contained falsehoods that tarnished his reputation personally.
According to a source from Jagan’s office, the shares in question were not inherited but a gesture of love from Jagan towards his mother. However, due to ongoing legal matters, the assets are currently under court supervision and cannot be altered until the cases are settled. Despite being aware of this restriction, Sharmila proceeded to unlawfully transfer the shares into her name.
Sharmila’s workplace responded by refuting the claims made by Jagan in the lawsuit, asserting that they are inaccurate and deceptive. The statement further clarified that Jagan had previously executed a gift deed in favor of Vijayamma, their mother Vijaya Lakshmi, thereby transferring all the shares to her. The motive behind Jagan’s actions was purportedly his apprehension that Vijayamma might pass the shares to his sister, Sharmila, prompting him to seek their retrieval and contest the validity of the gift deed.
