When it comes to determination and will power, YSR Telangana Party president Y S Sharmila appears to be as strong as her brother – YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Despite being a mother of two children and is nearing 50 years, Sharmila had the energy to walk for over 3,000 km to make her presence felt in the Telangana politics and has been able to gain the media attention.
She knows that she might not be politically as strong as the other parties, particularly the Bharat Rashtra Samithi or the Bharatiya Janata Party, but she is fighting against all odds to establish herself as a leader to reckon with.
And when Sharmila took up the fast-unto-death at her Lotus Pond residence on Friday evening, she appeared to be as resilient as her brother Jagan.
The way she was braving the highhandedness of the police and attacking her political rivals with pungent dialogues reminded everybody of Jagan.
Sharmila continued her fast on Saturday without even drinking water. The doctors who carried out the medical check-up have expressed fears that there was a possibility of severe dehydration, also posing danger to her kidneys due to electrolyte imbalance.
Dr Chandrasekhar from Apollo Hospitals said that she has been doing well, but the cause of concern was that she was not consuming water.
“Her pulse, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels are fine for now. But she must drink water to avoid electrolyte imbalance that may pose danger to the kidney,” he said.
Sharmila was arrested yesterday from the Dr Ambedkar statue on Tank Bund and was brought to her Lotus Pond residence, where she sat on a fast-unto-death, protesting against the government’s rejection of her request to pursue padayatra, and also demanding that the arrested party leaders be immediately and unconditionally released.
Sharmila went emotional and wondered why she was being ill-treated by the state government.
“Why should the police obstruct me when I was stating a dharna in front of my own property? The police arrested several of my party workers including women. This is atrocious,” she said, adding that she would continue her satyagraha from there.
