Tension prevailed at the Congress party’s office here on Thursday, February 22 as the police virtually detained Andhra Pradesh Congress chief YS Sharmila Reddy in the party office in Vijayawada to prevent her from leading the ‘Chalo Secretariat’ march.
The Congress party has given a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ call demanding that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Government address the problems of unemployed youth and students and to demand a Mega DSC (District Selection Committee) to fill teachers’ post in the state.
Sharmila Reddy, said the government had promised to fill 23,000 posts of teachers but issued DSC notification only for 6,000 posts. She demanded that the YSRCP Government apologise to the unemployed.
In the wake of the rally protest, Sharmila reached the party office on Wednesday night to avoid house arrest. A large number of policemen remained deployed around the office to prevent Sharmila from coming out. YS Sharmila is the sister of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The police detained YS Sharmila, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member G Rudra Raju, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Working President Mastan Vali and several other leaders trying to gather at the party office for the march to the Secretariat.
The Congress leaders raised strong objections to the police action tried to pull down the police barricade, leading to heated arguments.
Police also placed under house arrest Congress leaders in Vijayawada, Guntur and other places to foil the march.
Reacting sharply to the arrests, Sharmila Reddy said they were arrested for pulling up the YSRCP Government for turning mega DSC into fake DSC. She demanded immediate release of the arrested leaders.
“Thousands of policemen have been deployed around us. Iron fencing has been put up to detain us. They are arresting us for standing by the unemployed. You are dictators who are trying to stop us,” she posted on X.
“Is it not shameful that I as a woman had to spend the night at the party office to avoid house arrest. Are we terrorists or anti-social elements,” Sharmila Reddy asked.