Sharmila slams Jagan’s padayatra, plans statewide yatra in Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday strongly reacted to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's announcement of a proposed padayatra, questioning his credibility and record in office.APCC president YS Sharmila launched a sharp attack on her brother Jagan, accusing him of seeking power without accountability. Addressing a media conference at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada, Sharmila said Jagan failed to fulfil the promises he made during his tenure as chief minister. She questioned what he achieved when he was given absolute power by the people of the state.Sharmila asked whether the ambitious Jalayagnam irrigation projects were completed, whether the much-publicised Navaratnalu welfare schemes were fully implemented, and whether the prohibition policy (madhyapanam nishedham) was carried out as promised. "When he was in power, he did not step out among the people even for a single day. The party was inaccessible to the public," she alleged.Criticising the timing of the proposed padayatra, Sharmila questioned why Jagan chose to announce it now and why it was scheduled to take place only after a year. She alleged that the announcement was driven purely by political compulsion rather than public concern.During the press conference, Sharmila also announced that she would undertake a statewide yatra starting Feb 2 to protect the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). She said the yatra would begin from Bandlapalli in the Singanamala constituency, where the employment guarantee scheme was originally launched.Stating that she would personally visit all districts during the yatra, Sharmila demanded that the Central government continue the MGNREGA without dilution and increase the daily wage of workers to ₹400 to provide real relief to rural labourers.