ANDHRA Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y S Sharmila is not what her name suggests—shy, placid… She has been a rebel after a cause, and so has done what she had set out to do, become a part of the Congress—which was her father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s party—with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi welcoming her into the fold. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy sent their uncle Y V Subba Reddy to dissuade Sharmila from throwing in her lot with the Congress, but in Sharmila’s case, blood proved to be thinner than water and so, it will be brother versus sister in Andhra Pradesh with the Congress hosting the sister in all sincerity.

 

The Congress hopes to make a comeback in Andhra Pradesh like it did in Telangana with Sharmila leading from the front. That is the problem with sibling rivalry when mixed with dynasty politics. Jagan Mohan Reddy, older by a year to Sharmila, annexed YSR’s legacy and Jagan’s mother stood with him, leaving Sharmila holding the rejection. With the Congress edging into the brother-sister imbroglio, a degree of balance has been established and Sharmila is eager to take on her brother in the battle for the high table. Sharmila joined the Congress after failing to make hay in Telangana with her ‘YSR Telangana Party’. Now, with YSRTP’s merger with the Congress, Sharmila has taken on the task to cut her brother YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy’s political clout to size. It remains to be seen though whether Y S Sharmila will ever become Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister like her brother and father.

 

Most likely not though Jagan Mohan might harbour fear because of anti-incumbency, an affliction that spares none. If Sharmila ever becomes Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, it will be one for the Guinness—three CMs from the same family, two of them warring siblings and their father, who died tragically. For now, though, Jagan Mohan Reddy feels only threatened. The brother knows his sister too well. Apparently, Sharmila told the uncle, Subba Reddy, to take a hike, her attention fully focused on the merger with the Congress. Sharmila did a good job of hurting Jagan Mohan, saying, “It gives me immense joy that the YSR Telangana party is going to be a part of the Indian National Congress… It was my father’s dream to see Rahul as PM and I will work towards it.” Imagine, it was not the father’s dream to see his own son become Prime Minister. The sister couldn’t have been more dismissive. Sharmila’s clean chit for the Congress was a blanket check, no less — “Congress always upheld the true culture of India...built the nation's foundation…served all communities…uniting all sections…” What more could Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge ask for from Jagan's sister? Sharmila also praised Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.

 

The Jagan-led YSRCP, however, will be difficult to dislodge from the electorate’s calculations. For many millions of AP voters, Sharmila’s riposte that she will take forward YSR’s legacy is empty rhetoric. Sharmila joining the Congress will not benefit the Congress, primarily because Sharmila herself has only a marginal base in Andhra Pradesh. For far too long Sharmila has been “wasting time” battling “KCR and KTR” in Telangana instead of building a base for herself in Andhra Pradesh. Actually, joining the Congress should have been the last thing Sharmila should have done. Towards the end, even her father YSR had become disillusioned with the Congress, which the daughter forgot, but the son did not. This much is for sure, joining the Congress bandwagon against brother Jagan Mohan Reddy will not bring back “Rajanna Rajyam” in Andhra Pradesh and will backfire. Also, Sharmila had always asserted that she “belonged to Telangana” and not Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, her party was “YSRTP” and not “YSRCP”. The siblings couldn’t agree on much. By accepting Sharmila, the Congress has acquired an ongoing family feud and how can a running battle help a more or less down in the dumps state unit of a political party is to be seen.

 

The Congress probably will end up fighting Sharmila’s battles for her just to ensure that she’s of some use to the Congress in Jagan’s stronghold, Andhra Pradesh—where the Congress itself is in no great shape. The YSR family is divided but as long as the brother-sister kept to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana respectively, there was peace. It wouldn’t be anymore. Sharmila is ready to rock Jagan’s boat. And Jagan is no spring chicken. Can Sharmila come up to Congress expectations, when the Congress itself is weak in Andhra Pradesh? In both the 2014 and 2019 assembly and general elections, the Congress couldn’t save its deposit in any of the seats it contested. Yet, the Congress is so down in the dumps that there is a section in the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress which believes that Y S Sharmila is the saviour the Congress in Andhra Pradesh has been waiting for. The Congress has plans for Sharmila. (IPA)