Maro Praja Prasthanam - Sharmila Padayatra

Maro Praja Prasthanam - Sharmila Padayatra

Former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s daughter Sharmila will begin an arduous 3,000-km-long padayatra across the State on October 18.

In what is being compared as an exercise to emulate her father, who undertook a walkathon from Chevella to Icchapuram in Srikakulam during the summer of 2003, Ms. Sharmila will embark on a similar feat after paying respects to her father at Idupulapaya Estate on October 18 and continue until her brother Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy takes over, if and when he is released from jail.

Initially, Ms. Sharmila will cover Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool districts. In all, the six-month-long tour would take her round almost all the districts touching at least 125 constituencies before culminating at Icchapuram.

Christened ‘Maro Praja Prasthanam’, the mass contact programme would serve the twin purpose of highlighting failures of the State government and the Congress party’s alleged nexus with the TDP. It is also aimed at boosting morale of the party cadre.

Ms. Vijayamma said Jagan had planned the padayatra once he was out of jail. “As his bail was getting delayed and I am suffering from arthritis, Sharmila said she would take up the padayatra. I will be participating for two to three days in a week along with Jagan’s wife, Bharati,” she said.

She said the ongoing padayatra by TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu was no comparison to their latest effort, as the latter had lost all credibility and sincerity. She said the ‘Odarpu yatra’ will not be abandoned and vowed to cover all the three regions.

 

The concept of Padayatra was introduced by the late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and it brought him a lot of success. Today, it is adopted by his arch rival Chandrababu Naidu and he is also getting few benefits. But with the arrival of YSR’s daughter Sharmila into the scene with her Padayatra, the competition has increased.  Her initial phase of ‘Maro Praja Prasthanam’ has started on a positive note and the response is good. But now it looks like Sharmila is taking the wrong turn in her Padayatra. Wherever she is addressing the public, her focus is more on attacking the congress government and TDP. But this is not something the people are looking at. They want someone to listen to their problems and some assurance that those problems will be taken care of. Political parties blaming each other have vexed the common man. So it is better Sharmila changes her route or else all her efforts will go waste.