"Duty To Speak Up For...": Jagan's Mother Backs Sharmila As Siblings Clash

Vijayamma wrote that Sharmila was not involved in the family business but worked selflessly in politics on Jagan Reddy's instructions.

Amid YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's dispute with his sister and Congress leader YS Sharmila over an inheritance worth crores, their mother YS Vijayamma has written an open letter, putting her weight behind Ms Sharmila and saying that it's her "duty to speak up for the unfairly treated child".

In response, the YSR Congress Party released an open letter, saying "mother has not been neutral". The Jagan Reddy-led party said Vijayamma backed Sharmila and the Congress before and after the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls. In the state polls held earlier this year, YSRCP suffered a rout and Jagan Reddy lost power to arch-rival, TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu. The YSRCP said YS Sharmila joined the party that had put Jagan Reddy in jail.

She wrote that Sharmila was not involved in the family business but worked selflessly in politics on Jagan Reddy's instructions. "Jagan's rise to power owes much to Sharmila's efforts. As a mother, all children are equal. It's painful to see injustice done to one child. As a mother, it's my duty to speak up for the unfairly treated child," Vijayamma wrote. She said it is "deeply painful" for her to watch these events unfold. "My late husband, Rajasekhara Reddy, our children, and I were a happy family. I'm unable to comprehend why our family is facing such difficulties. Despite my efforts to stop it, unfortunate events are unfolding before my eyes," she wrote.