Sharmila Compares YCP with ‘Pilla Kaluva’

Andhra Pradesh Congress President YS Sharmila came down heavily on the YSR Congress Party, comparing it to a small canal that will eventually merge into a larger ocean, the Congress party.

Speaking at a party meeting in Tanuku, West Godavari on Friday evening, Sharmila said, “The Congress is a vast ocean, and many small streams (Pilla Kaluva) will join it. YSRCP is just one of them. Sooner or later, it too will merge with the Congress.”

She also took strong aim at CM Jagan over the Polavaram Project, calling it a dream project of her late father YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Sharmila alleged that it was Jagan himself who ruined that dream.

“They said they’d finish Polavaram and give water to the people. They even made big statements in the Assembly. But by changing contractors and going for reverse tenders, they pushed the project back by 10 years,” she said.

She blamed Jagan for the delay and accused his government of even proposing a reduction in the dam height, something she said undermines the very purpose of the project.

Sharmila didn’t spare the current TDP-JSP-BJP alliance either. She alleged that even they are playing politics around Polavaram’s dam height.

“Chandrababu and Pawan Kalyan say they are close to the Modi government at the Centre. Then why are they silent about the reduction in dam height? Why aren’t they protecting AP’s interests?” she asked.

Sharmila also promised that the Congress party will protest if the dam height is reduced and demanded justice for Polavaram evacuees, stating that neither Jagan in the past nor Chandrababu now have done enough for the displaced families.

On the issue of the Banakacharla Project, Sharmila clarified her stance, saying her focus is always on what benefits Andhra Pradesh.

“I am the AP Congress President. My priority is the welfare of AP. If Banakacharla helps Rayalaseema get more water, I will support it. But our party also believes that Telangana should not be unfairly treated in the process,” she said.