Hyderabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday paid tribute to former Andhra Pradesh (AP) chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) on his birth anniversary, strengthening the idea of the much awaited merger of Y S Sharmila-led YSRTP and the Congress.
Y S Sharmila is the daughter of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh chief minister, the late Y S Rajashekhar Reddy.
It is widely reported that conversations regarding the merger are underway for quite some time between both the parties and the official announcement would come at the right time.
On Monday, Congress party leader K V P Ramachandra Rao stated that Sharmila will soon join the Congress.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi called YSR “the visionary leader who devoted his life to the betterment of the people of Andhra Pradesh. He shall always be remembered”.
Earlier in the day, the Congress also tweeted from its official Twitter handle to pay tribute to YSR. The tweet called YSR the leader “who won the hearts of the masses by implementing welfare programmes during his tenure.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also paid respects to the former Andhra Chief Minister.
“His contribution to public life and to the Congress party shall always be cherished,” Kharge’s said in his tweet.
Thanking Rahul Gandhi for his ‘affectionate words’, Sharmila said that the late YSR died as a committed Congress leader “who died in the service of Telugu people, believing in the bright future for this country under Rahul’s leadership.”
After rumours of taking over as the Grand Old party’s Andhra Pradesh Unit, Sharmila had rubbished claims of her accepting the post. Sharmila had also clarified her commitment to the cause of Telangana, saying that she would continue to fight for the people of the region.