Jagan, Sharmila Remember Father YSR on 17th Death Anniversary
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and YS Sharmila visited their father's memorial at Idupulapaya on the 17th death anniversary of former CM YSR.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y.S. Sharmila on Wednesday paid tributes to their father, former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, at his memorial in Idupulapaya, Kadapa district. The occasion marked the 17th anniversary of his death.
Both siblings visited the site separately, a practice they have followed since their political paths diverged. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy arrived with his wife Y.S. Bharathi Reddy and other family members. He laid a garland at the Samadhi and observed a moment of silence before also garlanding a bust of his father on the premises. In a post on X, he wrote, "Miss you always, dad...! You will forever be my inspiration."
Among those accompanying the YSRCP chief were Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, YSRCP Kadapa district president P. Ravindranath Reddy, and former Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy.
Ms. Sharmila offered a garland and wreath at the Samadhi. She described her father as the "heartbeat" of crores of Telugus who benefited from initiatives such as Jalayagnam, fee reimbursement, free power for agriculture, and the Aarogyasri health scheme. She said the State would always remain indebted to him, adding that his pet projects are "hard to imagine and impossible for any other leader to implement." She also said she prayed for the well-being and prosperity of the State.
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy served as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh from 2004 until his death in 2009. He was a four-term Lok Sabha member from Kadapa and a six-term MLA from Pulivendula. He died on September 2, 2009, when the helicopter carrying him went missing over the Nallamala forest. The wreckage was found the next day, with all five people aboard dead. Following his father's death, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy left the Congress and founded the YSRCP. Ms. Sharmila, after leading her own party in Telangana, merged it with the Congress and took charge of its Andhra Pradesh unit in 2024.