When YS Sharmila, the estranged sister of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was appointed the Andhra Pradesh Congress chief last month, it was widely believed that the poll-bound southern state was in for a sibling battle to claim the political legacy of their father and popular Congress Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
It is turning out to be much more than that.
Faith, loyalty and simmering friction in the devout Christian family are turning the poll campaign bitter and acrimonious.
By invoking the Christian card during election rallies and questioning her brother’s commitment to the welfare of minorities, Sharmila is trying to chip away at the ruling YSR Congress Party’s formidable vote bank.
“How can Jagan call himself a Christian when he is hand-in-glove with the BJP and is silent on the attacks on Christians in Manipur?” she wondered while addressing a public meeting. She has also been attacking Jagan for betraying the political legacy of their father late YSR by failing to implement the schemes initiated by the former chief minister.
Sharmila’s husband Anil Kumar, an evangelist who has a considerable following in the state, is also pitching in, addressing small gatherings to garner support for his wife. “God always chooses the weak to defeat the strong. He will send someone to earth to bring about the Kingdom of God,” he told a gathering of pastors in Eluru town recently. Kumar was born into an orthodox Brahmin family. Following his marriage to Sharmila in 1995, he converted to Christianity and went on to become a pastor.
Jagan, himself a devout Christian, has been refraining from invoking the religion card in public rallies but has roped in his paternal aunt Vimala Reddy, a preacher, to do his bidding. “We must ensure that Jagan Reddy returns to power. Otherwise, Christians will not be safe nor will they have freedom to profess their faith,” Vimala Reddy told one of the gatherings.
Christian community is considered a traditional stronghold of the YSR’s family. Though according to the 2011 census, Christians constitute less than 2 per cent of the state’s population, the actual number could be higher. “Typically, in AP, the converted Christians prefer to continue carrying their Hindu caste identity, follow decades-old traditions and would not feel the need to officially change their religion,” said political analyst and author K Ramesh Babu.
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