KTR makes phone call to lure BJP leader

MUNUGODE: It was a phone call that Naamini Jagannatham, former Gattuppal village sarpanch, was not anticipating, but when it did come, it did not come as a surprise.

The call was from TRS working president and minister K. T. Rama Rao to rally support for his party candidate Koosukuntla Prabhakar Reddy. It was just that the recipient of the call, Jagannatham, is a BJP leader who is actively campaigning for his party's candidate, Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, in the Gattuppal mandal. In his words, “there is no question of me joining the TRS”.

 As it works to unify all possible forces against the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi has been attempting to attract leaders from the BJP and the Congress in the Munugode constituency over the past few weeks. And the call Jagannatham received, was part of this effort. As soon as Jagannatham received the call, someone sitting next to him recorded the conversation in real time. In the video, Rama Rao can be heard asking for “some cooperation” in Gattupall mandal.

"I was surprised when KTR included me on a conference call with 5,000 or so TRS leaders and employees a week ago. And yesterday, I received the call from him," said Jagannathan speaking to Deccan Chronicle.

During the call, Rama Rao told Jagannatham that the Munugode bypoll is not going to change anything in terms of the TRS being in power in the state. And just for good measure, Rama Rao, seemingly in an effort to persuade Jagannatham to quit the BJP, said, “Rajgopal Reddy, has he ever cared for the constituency or its people? He is not even an RSS or a BJP man. He changed his party for personal gains, he has no love for Modi or anyone. If you can give me some cooperation, we can work wonders in Gattupall.”

In his response, Jagannatham said, “I told Rama Rao that the government schemes such as Rythu Bandhu are not reaching those who actually deserve it, such as tenant farmers. But landlords are getting lakhs of rupees each year. I also told him that there must be some conditions to ensure that the benefits reach those who deserve them.”

Jagannatham also told Deccan Chronicle that Rama Rao assured to examine and address all these issues. Asked if it was just the phone call, Jagannatham said a group of TRS leaders from Siricilla met him a couple of times in the past few days urging him to join the ruling party. “I told them I am not in it for the money. And that I had no interest in joining the TRS,” he said.