Hyderabad: It is a reunion of sorts for Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu and Congress legislator Gummadi Kutuhalamma from Chittoor distict, after 33 years.
Both were in the Congress in 1981 when Mr Naidu, then a minister, got suspended for violating the party decision and promoting Dr Kutuhalamma as a rebel candidate in the zilla parishad chairperson polls, and ensured her victory.
That was Mr Naidu’s first brush with the headlines. Though the Congress revoked his suspension, Mr Naidu later switched over to the TD. Dr Kutuhulamma remained in the Congress, won five Assembly elections and worked in various ministires and even as Deputy Speaker.
On Monday, Dr Kutuhulamma, Gangadhara Nellore MLA, joined the TD in Mr Naidu’s presence. She said, “It is a happy reunion. When I met Mr Naidu he was very ha-ppy and told me that the memories of 1981 came alive again.
Former MLA M. Venkata Ramana, known to be close to Jai Samiakyandhra party leader N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, joined the TD. A close aide of Andhra PCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy, Mr Gundamala Tippeswamy, the MLC from Anantapur, switched sides to the TD. In Kadapa, the few leaders left in the Congress, like former legislators N. Varada-rajula Reddy and R. Ramesh Reddy, close associates of Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, joined the TD.
It is rumoured that former minister D.L. Ravindra Reddy of Kadapa district is set to join the TD unconditionally. On Monday, he participated in a TD party meeting in Duvvuru in Kadapa district and asked his cadre to support the TD.
