YSTP leader YS Sharmila was arrested by the Mahabubabad Police today during her Praja Prasthanam padayatra after protests broke out following her inappropriate comments made against the local BRS MLA Banoth Shankar Naik. Police also revoked the permission for her padayatra.
She was later brought to Hyderabad to avoid a breakdown of law and order after the YSTP leader called the BRS MLA “a eunuch” in her speech yesterday. Since Naik is an ST, the police have registered a case against her under the Prevention of Atrocities Against SC and ST Act.
On Saturday Sharmila had accused Naik of being “corrupt” and involved in land grabbing after he called her an “outsider.” She dared him to call anyone an outsider or a migrant and said she was challenging him to leave his wife since she hailed from Nellore to prove his love for Telangana.
Today morning the MLA’s wife led the protests at Bhajana Thanda near Bethole village where Sharmila was camping and BRS cadres shouted slogans, obstructed the highway and burned flexes. Police then intervened and arrested Sharmila.
This is the second time Sharmila was arrested by police during her padayatra. Last year she had been arrested at Narsampet in Warangal in November after BRS supporters attacked her convoy following her comments on local MLA Peddi Sudarshan Reddy. She resumed her padayatra on February 2.
After reaching Hyderabad, Sharmila criticised Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, saying that Telangana has been reduced to Afghanistan and KCR was the Taliban.
“I want to tell KCR that he is a dictator and he is a tyrant. There is no Indian Constitution in Telangana. There is only the KCR Constitution,” she said, adding that a law and order situation was deliberately created by the BRS goondas.
She argued Naik had called her an eunuch and she had retaliated saying, ” if I am an eunuch what was he when he has not fulfilled any of his promises to the people?” Sharmila said she will once again approach court for permission to resume her padayatra.
BRS Minister Satyavathi Rathod meanwhile suggested to Sharmila to “avoid baseless accusations, personal criticism and inappropriate comments during the padayatra. The Telangana movement took place against Rajanna (YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s) reign and now you have come to criticise us? Chief Minister KCR will not tolerate such insults to Telangana activists.”
She went on to add that even now padayatra can continue but if Sharmila continues to make such provocative comments, she will have to face protests from the people.