IANS

YSR Telangana Party president YS Sharmila on Thursday, February 2 dared Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to walk along with her for at least three kilometres to know the plight of people in the state. She posed the challenge to KCR before embarking on the last leg of her ‘Praja Prasthanam’ padayatra. Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Sharmila alleged that KCR had failed to fulfil any of the promises he made to the people of the state. "For the past nine years, there is no section in the state that has not suffered from this autocratic and inefficient rule. From farmers' plight to the youth's distress, women's issues to education, KCR has failed to keep every promise he made," she said.

The daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy said that when she tried to expose his failures and corruption, her padayatra was ruthlessly attacked. "Today, I challenge the Chief Minister to walk with us for a full day and if you show us that every person in the state is happy and has no problems for you to solve, then I will withdraw from politics. I'm gifting this brand new pair of shoes to walk. This is as per your size and there is a bill to exchange in case it doesn't fit," Sharmila said. 

After a break of two months, Sharmila is set to resume her padayatra in the Warangal district, where it was stopped by the state government in November last year. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) workers had allegedly set fire to her bus and pelted stones on other vehicles in Warangal district on November 28, 2022. Later, police detained Sharmila as she refused to call off the padayatra in view of the tense situation in the area.

Sharmila was later shifted to Hyderabad. The next day, she was arrested again while leading a protest march towards the Chief Minister's official residence. She was driving a car damaged in the attack and wanted to stage a protest in front of the Chief Minister's residence. The police, however, stopped her en route. When she refused to step out of the car, the police towed it away to a police station.

The padayatra, however, could not resume as the police had not granted permission. The YSRTP then approached the Telangana High Court, which asked Sharmila to abide by the conditions imposed earlier while allowing her to resume the walkathon.

Watch: YS Sharmila to TNM: Democracy no more in Telangana