From Mughal betrayals to YS Family feud: When blood ties lose to power

AMARAVATI

A wedding is supposed to bring a family together. But in the family of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, a daughter’s wedding has become another painful reminder of how far a brother and sister have drifted apart.

YS Sharmila wanted to hold her daughter Anjili’s November 25 wedding at the family’s Bengaluru property. Her brother, YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, refused permission, citing security and privacy concerns, and offered his Hyderabad residence as an alternative. The disagreement has reopened old wounds over family assets and their father’s legacy.

History has seen far more dramatic family battles, but the emotions are strikingly familiar.

In 1657, when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fell seriously ill, his four sons fought a bloody war of succession. Aurangzeb defeated his brothers, Dara Shikoh was executed, and Shah Jahan spent his final years imprisoned by his own son. An empire built on conquest became the setting for a family’s devastating struggle for the throne.

The Vijayanagara kingdom, too, faced repeated succession struggles, challenges from powerful families and shifting alliances. Royal authority proved vulnerable when competing ambitions weakened the bonds that held the kingdom together.

Centuries later, the setting has changed from royal courts to family residences and corporate shareholdings. Yet the question remains: what is the price of winning when the people closest to you become your opponents?

When Jagan was in jail in 2012-13, Sharmila travelled thousands of kilometres campaigning for her brother. She became a prominent face of his political struggle. Today, they stand on opposing political sides, while their dispute over family assets, including shares in Saraswati Power and Industries, remains before the National Company Law Tribunal. Their competing claims should be resolved through the proper legal process.

Their father, YSR, was more than a political leader. For many people in Andhra Pradesh, he represented welfare, accessibility and a promise of support for ordinary families. His death in a helicopter crash in September 2009 left a legacy that neither property deeds nor political victories can fully measure.

Jagan and Sharmila may disagree over wealth, power and their past. But their father’s public service belongs to a history larger than their private dispute.

Perhaps the real victory would be for the siblings to find a way back to mutual respect. The Mughal throne is long gone, and Vijayanagara survives largely in history books. The YSR legacy, however, is still alive in public memory. It deserves to be remembered for the people it helped, not overshadowed by a family feud.