YS Sharmila spent the night at Congress office in Vijayawada
Andhra Pradesh Congress chief YS Sharmila Reddy on Wednesday spent the night in her party office at Vijayawada in an attempt to avoid house arrest. Ms Sharmila's move came a day ahead of the 'Chalo Secretariat' protest by Congress cadre under her leadership on Thursday.
Demanding that the State government address the problems being faced by unemployed youth and students, the Congress cadre has given a call for 'Chalo Secretariat' protest.
Speaking to the media at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada, YS Sharmila said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had utterly failed in addressing important issues of youth, unemployed and students in the last five years.
Taking to her account on X, she wrote, "If we call for protest on behalf of the unemployed, will you try to keep us under house arrest? Don't we have the right to protest in a democracy? Is it not shameful that as a woman I have been forced to evade the police and spend the night in the Congress Party office to avoid house arrest?"
Further lashing at the state government, she said, "Are we terrorists... or anti-social forces? They are trying to stop us... It means they (the government) are afraid of us. They are trying to hide their incompetence, the real truth. Even if they try to stop us, stop our workers, our struggle on behalf of the unemployed will not stop.
In a post on Thursday, the newly elected Andhra Congress State President said, "Thousands of policemen were placed around us. Iron fences have been put up and we have been held hostage. If we stand on the side of the unemployed, they are arresting us. You are dictators who are trying to stop us. Your actions are proof of this. YCP Sarkar should apologize to the unemployed."
Congress' in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore also criticised the state government for what it termed was a dictatorial approach.
"Standing up against Jagan's arrogance and standing for democracy, Joining YS Sharmila and countless others in condemning the unjust behavior of Jagan's police for the suppression of democratic rights against advocates for the unemployed. It's time to uphold the fundamental principles of democracy and respect the right to peaceful protest." Manickam Tagore posted on X.
Meanwhile, a massive police presence has been seen at the Andhra Pradesh Congress committee Headquarters in Vijayawada as the Police aim to keep law and order under check after the Congress' call to march to the Secretariat.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)