Cong's Hanumantha Rao slams YS Sharmila for holding public meeting in Khammam amid COVID surge

Senior Telangana Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao on Friday slammed YS Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, for hosting huge gatherings by holding public meetings and rallies amid a rise in COVID-19 cases.

"On one hand people are suffering a lot due to the COVID-19 pandemic and on the other hand, YS Sharmila is holding public meeting in Khammam, gathering people in large numbers for these events," he said.

He further said, "If Sharmila wants to conduct public meeting in Khammam, them she must have gone by air on chopper, but instead she is going from Hyderabad to Khammam by road, gathering a huge number of people. This is not good in the prevailing pandemic situation."

He said that even the judiciary did not respond to this and they have permitted her to hold such public meetings.

Rao's remarks come in the backdrop of Sankalpa Sabha, the public meeting scheduled to be addressed by Sharmila today seeking to bring "Rajanna Rajyam" (pro-poor and welfare regime) to Telangana.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's sister is likely to float a new political party in today's Sankalpa Sabha.

Sharmila is likely to make a political entry into Telangana politics ahead of the 2023 state Assembly polls.

The Assembly polls for 119 seats in Telangana state are scheduled to be held in 2023.In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi emerged victorious, securing 88 seats in the House.

( With inputs from ANI )