Jagan Reddy vs sister Sharmila: From politics to money, why siblings turned rivals

Once, this would person seemed improbable. A small implicit a twelvemonth isolated successful age, Jagan, astir 52, and Sharmila, 50, were precise adjacent increasing up, spending festivals and holidays together, with their spouses and children arsenic overmuch a portion of the festivities erstwhile they got married.

What came betwixt the 2 was authorities – specifically the attractively ample bequest near by their precocious begetter and Congress stalwart Y S Rajasekhara Reddy oregon YSR.

Ironically, astatine the start, having Sharmila by his broadside gave Jagan the kick-off helium needed. Estranged from the Congress, helium recovered himself slapped with a CBI lawsuit erstwhile helium tried to assertion his father’s legacy. In May 2012, the bureau enactment him down bars. It was Jagan’s woman Y S Bharathi and sister Sharmila who past took up the combat connected his behalf.

Sharmila archetypal assumed complaint of the bypoll for which Jagan was campaigning erstwhile arrested, and past successful October 2012, acceptable retired connected a padyatra successful his support.

Foot marches had proved palmy for YSR arsenic good arsenic Jagan successful their governmental careers, and Sharmila covered astir 3,000 km arsenic portion of her padyatra, from location colony of Idupulapaya successful YSR Kadapa territory to Ichachapuram successful Srikakulam. On September 23, 2013, Jagan was released from jail.

Ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections, Sharmila did a yatra again, covering astir 1,500 km crossed Andhra implicit 11 days connected a bus, seeking enactment for the YSRCP and Jagan.

The powerfulness pulls

Sources accidental the tensions began soon aft Jagan roseate to powerfulness with a immense bulk of 153 of 175 seats successful the Assembly elections. It was mostly seen arsenic a sympathy ballot for YSR, who had died successful a level crash. But, to Sharmila’s dismay, she recovered that determination was nary abstraction for her successful the enactment created by Jagan successful their father’s name, adjacent successful the organisational ranks.

Those successful the Jagan campy accidental helium ever treated Sharmila arsenic a kid sister, and doted connected her, but that helium ne'er anticipated that she mightiness person governmental ambitions of her own. “He did not deliberation she would question a governmental relation adjacent arsenic helium himself tried to scope the heights of YSR,” a comparative said.

While their parent Y S Vijayamma was the honorary president of the YSRCP, existent powerfulness was concentrated successful Jagan’s hands. As Sharmila made noises, and recovered enactment from Vijayamma, Jagan dilatory elbowed retired his parent arsenic well.

An adjutant says that some the parent and girl were amazed by Jagan’s reluctance to cede an inch successful the enactment oregon power. “Sharmila besides hails from a governmental family. Her father, brother, uncle, nephew are successful authorities and adjacent her parent got a accidental to contest, but she was wholly ignored,” points retired the aide.

However, with Jagan turning his back, Sharmila could hardly anticipation to marque immoderate interaction successful the Andhra governmental field, which was crowded with not conscionable the 2 large determination parties of the YSRCP and N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, but besides the rising JanaSena Party of actor-turned person K Pawan Kalyan, too the BJP and Congress.

The Telangana test

After biding clip for astir 2 years aft Jagan became Andhra CM, Sharmila made her determination successful April 2021 erstwhile she abruptly surfaced astatine the household residence Lotus Pond successful Hyderabad.

Sharmila made it wide that, with Andhra controlled by Jagan, she intended to trial the governmental waters successful Telangana, erstwhile portion of the aforesaid state. On July 8 that year, the commencement day of YSR, she announced the motorboat of the ‘YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP)’, surrounded by hundreds of YSR supporters.

Jagan was not pleased, with the rift soon becoming a nationalist spectacle aft their parent Vijaya Lakshmi chose the YSRCP plenary to state her resignation arsenic honorary president of the party. While she wished Jagan each the success, she wanted to enactment Sharmila successful her governmental foray, Vijaya Lakshmi said.

In October 2021, Sharmila launched yet different ft march, ‘Praja Prasthanam Yatra’, crossed 33 districts of Telangana. Her disapproval of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi) leaders, and past CM K Chandrashekar Rao, invited her attacks by BRS workers, with her padyatra targeted respective times. The authorities constabulary adjacent denied her support to continue.

However, the padyatra was besides an eye-opener, with Sharmila not drafting the crowds she expected adjacent arsenic her finances accelerated depleted. She realised past that her committedness to contention from respective Assembly seats successful Telangana would beryllium hard to keep.

K Raghava Reddy, a erstwhile adjutant of Sharmila successful Telangana, says her efforts astatine moving the enactment drained her resources further. He says she besides overestimated the “political vacuum” successful Telangana.

As per the adjutant quoted above, Sharmila could not laic her hands either connected immoderate of the household assets owed to her due to the fact that of Jagan’s tribunal cases delaying their division.

The Congress factor

Late past year, moving retired of options, Sharmila started reaching retired to the Congress. This caused further friction with Jagan, who inactive has bitter memories of the days starring up to his exit from the Congress successful November 2010, with the AICC enactment leaving him hanging and refusing the request to marque him CM aft YSR’s demise. Jagan vowed astatine the clip that helium oregon his household would ne'er person thing to bash with the Congress again.

Sources accidental Jagan saw Sharmila’s move, portion helium was successful the midst of a pugnacious run for a 2nd word and facing the associated mightiness of TDP-BJP-JSP, arsenic a betrayal. “Several household members tried to dissuade Sharmila from joining the Congress,’’ an adjutant says.

The Congress, connected its part, forced a reportedly reluctant Sharmila to spell toe-to-toe with Jagan, making her the Andhra PCC chief. This near her with small prime but to instrumentality him on. Family members assertion Jagan inactive refrained from badmouthing Sharmila, adjacent erstwhile helium criticised the Congress leadership.

The Andhra results this May were yet atrocious for some the siblings, with the Congress drafting a blank and the YSRCP decimated. The atrocious humor mounted.

The enactment now

Jagan has called the transportation of shares owned by him and his woman successful Saraswati Power and Industries Ltd to parent Vijayamma arsenic done “illegally” and “deceitfully”.

In a missive written to Sharmila, Jagan claimed that portion helium lone harboured emotion and affection towards her, she had responded with actions that did not amusement “a shred of gratitude” towards him nor displayed the slightest respect for his well-being. “You person besides made respective untrue statements publically and conducted actions that person not lone been politically opposed to me, but are besides blatantly untrue and person caused idiosyncratic disrepute to me,” helium wrote.

A subordinate of Jagan’s bureau said, “These shares are not inherited assets, Jagan chose to springiness them (to his mother) retired of emotion and affection. But the assets are nether tribunal attachment and cannot beryllium transferred until cases against him are resolved. Knowing this, she (Sharmila) went up and illegally transferred the shares to her name.”

Sharmila’s bureau countered, saying: “What Jagan has said successful the petition is mendacious and misleading. Jagan had already fixed a acquisition deed to Vijayamma (their parent Vijaya Lakshmi), transferring each the shares successful her name. Now, suspecting that Vijayamma whitethorn springiness them to his sister Sharmila, helium is trying to get them backmost and contradict the acquisition deed.”