Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, July 13

YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) leader Y.S. Sharmila on Tuesday went on a daylong fast in Wanaparthy District of Telangana State, demanding the state government to fill the vacancies in government departments.

Daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy and sister of sitting AP Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the YSRTP last week and announced her party would contest the next state elections.

She announced that she would fast every Tuesday, observing it as an “unemployment day”. Before the last AP elections, her brother undertook several thousand kilometres of padayatra to raise issues concerned with the state’s people. Sharmila proposes to adopt similar strategies to reach the people.

Earlier today, Sharmila reached Tadiparthi in Wanaparthy district and consoled the family of an unemployed youth who recently committed suicide. During the meeting, she offered financial assistance to the family and announced she would hold a weekly fast every Tuesday till the unemployed were given jobs by the government.

The YSRTP leader later sat on fast at the Tadiparti bus stand. Speaking on occasion, she slammed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for his indifference to the burning issue of unemployment. She demanded the filling up of 1.90 lakh vacancies in various governments immediately.

She said the government needed to recruit over 3 lakh people to fill the vacancies and the posts created with new districts adding that 54 lakh applications were pending before the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).

Referring to various pro-poor welfare schemes launched by her father as chief minister between 2004 and 2009, she vowed to bring back ‘Rajanna Rajyam’, a reference to the welfare rule of her late father.