Anantapur: The Union Minister of State for Railways, Kotla Jayasuryaprakash Reddy, who hails from Kurnool Lok Sabha, was the only person withstanding loyalties towards Congress, while many other ministers and MLAs have been looking to leave the party, in Kurnool district and the Congress cadre at various levels are in confused state.
The Congress had strong hold in Kurnool district during former chief minister and Telugu Desam founder NTR and also during the recent YSR Congress wave during the tenure of the slain Chief Minister, Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy.
In the recent Kurnool District Cooperative Credit Bank elections, the Congress bagged the majority of PACS president and chairman post in Kurnool district.
The state division issue was forcing many leaders to shift their loyalties to other parties like Telugu Desam and YSR Congress in the past few months.
Already Nandyal MP, S. P. Y. Reddy has joined YSR Congress and MLAs, Katasani Rami Reddy, Rambhupal Reddy and Shilpa Mohan Reddy were keeping away from party activists after tendering their resignations opposing the unilateral decision.
S. P. Y. Reddy, hailing from Nandyal Lok Sabha of Congress has been working along with the leaders of YSRC at Lok Sabha and also in Kurnool district.
Further, minor irrigation minister T.G. Venkatesh and the law minister, Erasu Prathap Reddy, reportedly expressed their intention of leaving the Congress.
Speculations are that Telugu Desam had offered MLA seats for T. G. Venkatesh from Kurnool Assembly and Erasu Prathap Reddy from his own segment.
It may be noticed that T. G. Venkatesh, who was also leading Rayalaseema Hakkula Vedika, has decided to the leave party at the final stage of the division process in the Assembly.
However, the party cadre at various levels are confused after the two ministers and several MLAs left the party.
A leader from Kurnool city lamented that the party had given respect to the ministers, but they are disregarding and openly talking about changing party.
Kotla Jayasurya-prakash Reddy conveyed his displeasure to the ministers and MLAs who were bargaining with the other parties in the coming elections.
In a recent public meeting, he attacked the leaders and said those who want to leave the party should leave immediately.
Referring to the mounting pressure on the party High Command, over the state division issue, he observed that you can voice your demands, but is it correct to leave the party after enjoying power.
Meanwhile, the All India Congress Committee observers arrived to get the opinions from the cadre over selection of the probable candidates for the forthcoming elections in Kurnool Lok Sabha and Assembly segments in the district.
