Within three weeks of launching the new regional outfit -- YSR Telangana Party by Y S Sharmila, daughter of former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, rumblings have surfaced in the party.
The appointment of a jumbo state executive committee, convenors and co-convenors for the parliamentary constituencies and party spokespersons on Friday created a ruckus in the party with several followers expressing resentment over the appointments.
Two senior leaders – Chevella Pratap Reddy and K T Narasimha Reddy announced resignation from the party in the last 24 hours, alleging that party posts and positions were sold out to undeserved candidates.
They, along with their followers, staged protest dharnas in front of Lotus Pond on Saturday, demanding that Sharmila cancel all the appointments and constitute fresh committees.
A tense atmosphere prevailed at Sharmila’s office, resulting in the police intervening and taking two YSRTP activists.
Narasimha Reddy alleged that injustice was meted out to those who had been with Sharmila right from the beginning.
“Real followers of late YSR were sidelined. The YSRTP had turned into a corporate entity, which sold out party posts overnight,” he said.
He said he had taken part in hundreds of debates since 2019 in support of Sharmila, but was completely ignored.
“If she wants to uphold the ideals of her father late YSR, she should not sell the party posts, at the cost of his real followers. It is not correct to give party posts to those who don’t even come to the party office,” he said.
More leaders are expected to quit the party in the coming days in protest against the domination of a few people at the helm.