YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) president and sister of Andhra CM YS Jagan, YS Sharmila, on Sunday (19 February) equated Telangana state with Afghanistan and its Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) with ‘Taliban’ after her arrest.

YS Sharmila, daughter of late CM of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajashekar Reddy (YSR) was arrested in Mahabubabad district under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Her arrest came after her remarks against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) legislator Banoth Shankar Naik who hails from Scheduled Tribe group.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, YS Sharmila termed CM KCR as a dictator and tyrant.

She alleged that there is no Indian Constitution in Telangana and there is only KCR's Constitution.

“Telangana is the Afghanistan of India and KCR is its Taliban.  KCR doesn't understand democratic language, so I probably will have to approach the count again, will have to get a fresh permission again (for continuing padayatra),” YS Sharmila said.

YS Sharmila founded YSRTP in July 2021 and started a walkathon (pada yatra) in October 2021. Her party plans to end the pada yatra on 5th March at Palair in Khammam district.

In December 2022, YS Sharmila announced that she would contest the upcoming assembly elections from Palair constituency.

The family of late CM YSR confined themselves to Andhra Pradesh politics after the division of state. Thus YS Sharmila surprised many by entering Telangana politics.

Earlier, while the ruling BRS accused YS Sharmila as ‘B team’ of BJP, the BJP state unit alleged that CM KCR is behind YS Sharmila’s YSRTP with an intention to further divide opposition votes in the state.