Hyderabad: In a setback to YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, four party MLAs and one MLC on Monday joined the Telugu Desam in the presence of AP Chief Minister and TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Nandyal MLA and former Public Accounts Committee chairman Bhuma Nagireddy, his daughter and Allagadda MLA Bhuma Akhila Priya Reddy, Jammala-madugu MLA C. Adinarayana Reddy, his elder brother and MLC C. Narayana Reddy and Vijayawada West MLA Jaleel Khan met Mr Naidu at his residence near Vijayawada and announced that they were joining the ruling party.
All the five leaders said late at night during a TD function that they would not quit their seats and that they had joined the TD for development.
Mr Nagireddy, while attending a PAC meeting earlier in the day at the AP Assembly, resigned from his post, paving the way for his entry into the TD.
Before the MLAs joined, Mr Naidu held detailed discussions with party leaders from the respective Assembly constituencies and told them that it had become necessary for the party to induct the MLAs, keeping the party’s interests in mind.
Mr Shilpa Mohan Reddy, Mr Shila Chakrapani Reddy from Nand-yal, former minister Ramasubba Reddy and Ms Laxmi Devamma, wife of slain legislator P. Siva Reddy of Jam-malamadugu, had met Mr Naidu to discuss about the new entrants.
TDP leaders interests will be protected: CM
They had said that it would be difficult to adjust with the newcomers who had been their political opponents in the faction-ridden constituencies.
“They have killed my husband and son, it will be difficult to adjust with such a person in TD. We have lost everything and have became financially weak, but we will be in the TD forever, we respect Chandrababu Naidu’s desire of strengthening the party,” Laxmi Devamma told the media at Vijayawada.
Mr Naidu, meanwhile, convinced them that he would see that the interests of all the leaders were protected. Former minister Ramasubba Reddy, who also met Mr Naidu, told the media that he would abide with the decision of admitting Mr Adinarayana Reddy into the TD.
Sources said more YSR Congress MLAs were expected to join the TD in the coming days.
