AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy's sister Y S Sharmila hints at floating new political outfit in Telangana
Hyderabad, Feb 9: Y S Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday held talks with her late father's sympathisers here, triggering speculations of her possible political entry in Telangana.
Responding to the development, the ruling YSRC in Andhra Pradesh said while Reddy and Sharmila do not have differences, the siblings only have "differences of opinion" over her political foray in this state.
Sharmila's father and late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, widely known as YSR, was the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.
The Congress leader died in a chopper crash in September 2009.
There have been rumours doing the rounds on social media over the past few days that Sharmila plans to start a political party in Telangana without her brother's intervention.
She is believed to be in touch with some prominent political leaders, who were closely associated with late Rajasekhara Reddy, eliciting their suggestions and opinion on bringing "Rajanna Rajyam" (a state envisaged by the late Reddy) in Telangana.
"I want to understand the ground realities and to take their suggestions and the information they have...I called people from Nalgonda district. This is just a connection (with them)."
"The meetings will be held with people from every district," she told the media after the meeting.
Asked if she would launch a political party, Sharmila said "there is no Rajanna Rajyam now. Why should it not come?.
My objective is to establish Rajanna Rajyam," she said.
To a query, she said, "Jagan Mohan Reddy is doing his job in AP and I will do mine in Telangana."
Sharmila and her mother Vijayamma had vigorously campaigned for the YSR Congress during the general elections in 2019.
However, after the party clinched a landslide victory and Jagan took over the reins, Sharmila was not seen much in public.
Responding to Sharmila's possible political entry in Telangana, YSRC senior leader and Advisor to the AP Government, Sajjala Ramakrishna, said Jagan and Sharmila do not have differences, but only "differences of opinion" on her venturing into Telangana politics.
"As a daughter of Rajasekhar Reddy she has leadership qualities," Reddy said, addressing a press conference near Vijayawada.
"People at various levels tried to convince her not to get into Telangana politics, but she took a decision...she has to face the political consequences," he said.
He opined that since YSRC decided not to be active in other states, including Telangana, she may have independently decided to fill the gap by going there.
The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtria Samiti (TRS), has been ruling the state, which came into existence in 2014, winning two back to back assembly elections.
Sharmila met sympathisers of Rajasekhara Reddy from the united Nalgonda district at the family's residence at Lotus Pond here.
Konda Ragava Reddy, a senior YSRC leader of the Telangana unit, told reporters that Sharmila will float a political party and take the ideology to the masses.
According to him the announcement will be made at a public meeting at Chevella in Rangareddy District in Telangana in the coming days.
Several banners with portraits of Sharmila and Rajasekhar Reddy were erected at the residence.
Jagan's image was conspicuously missing in the banners and flex boards.
Hundreds of people gathered at the residence and cheered as she came out.
They burst crackers and shouted slogans like "YSR johar" in memory of the deceased leader.
A YSR Congress worker from Utnoor in Adilabad said he strongly wants Sharmila to float a party in order to bring "Rajanna Rajyam" (Rajasekhar Reddy's regime) in Telangana also.
Though the YSRC has a presence in Telangana, it did not contest in the last general elections.
Sharmila undertook a 'Padayatra' when Jagan was imprisoned in connection with a quid pro quo case in 2012.
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Here's how netizens, media outlets projected Ashwini Kumar's bomb threat as 'Lashkar-e-Jihadi'
Mumbai: Mumbai was thrown into panic late on Thursday night when police received a WhatsApp message warning of a large-scale terror attack during the Ganesh festival. The message, written in the name of a jihadi group called “Lashkar-e-Jihadi,” claimed that 14 Pakistani terrorists had entered Mumbai with 400 kilograms of RDX loaded in 34 vehicles.
It warned of blasts that could kill as many as one crore people. Authorities immediately declared a high alert, and the case was handed over to the Crime Branch while the Anti-Terrorism Squad and other security agencies were put on standby.
Within hours, the threat made national headlines. Television channels and online portals reported the possibility of a terror strike, repeatedly linking the message to Pakistan-based groups.
The incident was projected as yet another attempt to destabilize Mumbai, and the supposed involvement of a jihadi outfit quickly gained traction across the media. However, a swift investigation by Mumbai Police traced the origin of the message to a very different source.
By Saturday, police had tracked down and arrested Ashwin Kumar Supra, a 50-year-old astrologer and Vastu consultant living in Sector 79 of Noida. Originally from Patna, Kumar admitted during interrogation that he had sent the message using the name of his former friend Firoz. In 2023, Firoz had lodged a fraud case against him at Phulwari Sharif police station in Patna, leading to Kumar’s three-month imprisonment. Seeking revenge, Kumar attempted to frame Firoz by posing as a jihadi terrorist. Police recovered his mobile phone, SIM cards, and other digital devices used in the hoax.
When the threat first came to light, social media was flooded with heated reactions. Journalist @Manju_IBNews wrote, “Another election around the corner!” while user @kv_mcu posted an aggressive comment demanding to “ban Islam and burn the Quran,” calling for mass deportations and tying the incident to culture and religion. In response, @RIMMS51979 countered sharply, saying, “Caller Name is Ashvini kumar what will you burn now.” Another user, @Valkyrie00777, questioned the credibility of the threat, pointing to contradictions in the claim that 14 terrorists had entered India with 34 bombs and 400 kilograms of RDX. Meanwhile, @Liberal51601607 remarked, “Terrorists have no religion.. Anyone..?”
Fact-checkers also weighed in. @zoo_bear (Mohammed Zubair) accused NDTV of omitting crucial context, posting: “Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him.” The fact-check website Aazad Fact Check (@AazadFactCheck) published a detailed rebuttal, saying the story had quickly evolved into a propaganda tool. It noted that the supposed intelligence about “human bombs in vehicles” was technically flawed and described the entire sequence as “a pure example of Indian narrative building before a false flag operation.”
Adani's TV hasn't mentioned that the accused Ashwini Kumar sent the bomb threat message to Mumbai police in the name of his friend Firoz to frame him. https://t.co/17nZxYOrql
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 6, 2025
After Ashwini Kumar’s arrest, the tone of the online conversation shifted sharply. Activist @ShabnamHashmi posted, “Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred. Stop the Hate factory! Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang.” Journalist @indscribe (Shams Ur Rehman Alavi) observed that newspapers splashed the initial threat on front pages but buried the arrest details inside. “When the guy gets caught, the same newspapers don't publish his photo, relegate it to page 14 or reduce it to a single column… Interest gone after ‘name’ found,” he wrote.
Ashwini Kumar 50 Year Old Astrologer from Noida has been arrested for sending these threats in the name of a Muslim. This is how Sangh sleeper cells are spreading hatred
— Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) September 6, 2025
Stop the Hate factory !
Vote Out the Vote Chori Gang pic.twitter.com/IzpLjWVJgu
Other users highlighted systemic and political angles. @shfique13 argued that there are now “two laws” in the country—one protecting those aligned with the government and another used to suppress truth-tellers. @SoodRajive claimed the episode was staged, alleging Kumar had been paid to frame a minority and calling it “a staged toolkit drama.” User @hussain2577 wrote sarcastically, “Such an innocent n bright person. Plzz grant him bail, Garland him, Give him BJP membership form.” Another account, @Sangliyana, remarked, “Risking his life just to frame a Muslim boy. This is what 11 years corrupting mind.” Finally, @rsbisht__ argued that Kumar’s only aim was to trap Firoz, linking it to what he described as rising hatred against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh under the Modi and Yogi administrations.
