Senior Congress leaders have condemned the threats and trolls against the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila and late Congress leader Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Suneetha Narreddy.
Taking to ‘X’ on Saturday, party leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the threats and termed it a disgraceful act.
“Insulting and threatening women, a vile and cowardly act, is unfortunately the most common weapon of the weak,” Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X. “Congress party and I stand firmly beside Y S Sharmila ji and Suneetha ji and strongly condemn this disgraceful attack,” he added.
All-India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal said certain elements in Andhra Pradesh are clearly rattled by the huge support Ms. Sharmila and the Congress are getting with every passing day. “The death threats and trolling against Sharmila ji and Suneetha ji are highly deplorable and the entire party stands firmly with them against these pathetic attempts to tarnish their reputation and the great legacy of YS Rajashekhar Reddy garu,” he posted on X.
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader from AP Pallam Raju said it is sad to see the ugly online trolling of Ms. Sharmila, who had embraced the ideology of her late father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the popular Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy’s daughter Suneetha who are being subjected to abuse.
Ms. Sharmila herself has hit out at her online detractors saying only cowards resort to cruelty when confronted with impending defeat. “Their actions may be vicious, but we derive strength from the support and affection shown by the people of Andhra Pradesh,” she said on ‘X’ and thanked senior party leaders like Pallam Raju, Shashi Tharoor, K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh for being with her in her fight against “paid trolls”.
