VIJAYAWADA: Former minister and senior Congress leader, C. Ramachandraiah, saddened over the newfound friendship between the Telugu Desam and the Congress, resigned form the Congress.
According to reports, the majority of the Congress cadres are up in arms against the poll alliance fearing the same in AP in the coming days. Earlier, former minister and senior Congress leader, Vatti Vasanth Kumar, also resigned from the Congress in protest.
The Congress cadres lament that they have relentlessly fought against the TD’s illegalities and corruption all these years but now they will be forced to support its omissions and commissions.
According to reports, other senior Congress leaders, including AP Congress committee president N. Raghuveera Reddy, tried to pacify Ramachandraiah but in vain.
It may be recalled that Ramachandraiah was earlier in the TD and held many positions in the party, including as a member of the TD politburo. He quit the TD in 2008 and joined the Praja Rajyam founded by Telugu veteran hero K. Chiranjeevi. After the PR merged with the Congress, he continued in the Congress.
Mr Ramachanraiah alleged that AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was the most undemocratic person who had killed the democratic spirit and hence he could not digest the alliance of the Congress with the TD. He lamented that Congress high command did not ask the opinion of the state leaders. He objected to the re-entry into the Congress of former CM N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who had deceived Congress party.
Mr Ramachandraiah lamented that he could not continue in the Congress party and praise the corrupt TD; hence, he was quitting the party.
Meanwhile, according to sources, several other Congress leaders, saddened over the alliance with the TD, are conducting discussions with their followers and well-wishers about continuing in the Congress party or joining other parties like the JS and YSR Congress.
