Telangana: Kavitha, Sharmila trade barbs on Twitter

Hyderabad: YSR Telangana Rashtra Samithi (YSRTP) leader Y.S. Sharmila and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislator K. Kavitha were locked in a war of words over Twitter a day after the former’s arrest in Hyderabad amid high drama.

Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, described Sharmila as a ‘covert’ of BJP. Using rhyming words in Telugu, the member of Telangana Legislative Council launched a counter attack on the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Terming Sharmila an ‘arrow’ of the BJP, the TRS leader alleged that YSRTP president and BJP leaders were working hand-in-glove.

Sharmila hit back at Kavitha in her own style. She remarked that the TRS leader is neither undertaking padyatra nor addressing people’s problems.

She also alleged that promises have not been kept. Sharmila also taunted that Kavitha has no place in ‘pink’ (colour of TRS) garden where there are only positions but no work.

Kavitha responded with a poem addressing Sharmila as an arrow of ‘lotus’ (symbol of BJP). She called YSRTP leader ‘lotus covert’ and ‘orange parrot’.

Stating that she is not a political tourist like her, the TRS leader reminded her that she emerged from the Telangana movement.

The war of words between the two began after Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and several BJP leaders condemned the TRS government for the manner in which Sharmila was arrested in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

The Governor expressed anguish at the way Sharmila was arrested and expressed concern about her safety and health condition.

“The visuals of towing away her car, when she was inside the car, were disturbing,” she tweeted.

Following the Governor’s tweet and statements by BJP leaders in Sharmila’s defence, several TRS leaders said this proves that she is BJP’s arrow.

Sharmila was arrested amid high drama on Raj Bhavan Road on Tuesday when she was marching to the chief minister’s residence to stage a protest against attack on her padyatra in Warangal district by the supporters of ruling TRS the previous day.

Sharmila, who was driving a car damaged in the attack by TRS men, refused to get down. The police then called a towing vehicle, which towed the car away with Sharmila still sitting inside it.