DS denies joining Congress, Dharmapuri brothers split wide open

 Hyderabad: Former PCC president D. Srinivas on Sunday disputed reports that he had rejoined the Congress and said that he wanted to keep away from active politics due to his failing health.

Srinivas wrote to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge that he had merely accompanied his son D. Sanjay to Gandhi Bhavan and had not joined the Congress as was reported. In the letter, Srinivas denied joining the party and stated that being present in Gandhi Bhavan was misinterpreted as joining the party.

"I will continue to support the Congress, but due to my current health condition and age, I would like to stay out of active politics. It is not correct to report that I joined the party and link it to seeking a party ticket to my son Sanjay," he clarified.

The senior leader further asked that he not be drawn into controversies and that the letter be treated as a "resignation" if it was perceived that he had joined the party. "If you believe I have returned to the party, consider this as my resignation letter," he stated.

D. Vijaya Lakshmi, Srinivas’ wife, also requested Congress leaders not to drag him back into politics because of his health, claiming that now was not the time for him to be involved in politics. "Please do not involve him in your politics. He suffered a brain stroke and a paralytic attack. He suffered convulsions on Sunday night as a result of the stress he was enduring. I plead with folded hands. Let him live in peace," she wrote.

Meanwhile, BJP MP D. Arvind insisted that no one should associate his political activities with those of his father, who remains a Congressman. "Because his health is still fragile, it would have been preferable if Congress leaders had visited him and announced his joining the Congress. But the manner in which he was brought to Gandhi Bhavan was not befitting his health condition," he remarked.

Arvind bemoaned that, despite his attempts to join the Congress since 2018, the party had avoided Srinivas, and that the Congress had disowned his father in 2015.  "Despite his health condition, neither Sonia nor Rahul Gandhi called him. Why did the Congress leadership ignore him despite his attempts to join the party," Arvind wondered.