T\'gana Cong leader Shashidhar Reddy rubbishes reports of him joining BJP

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader in Telangana Marri Shashidhar Reddy Tuesday dismissed reports that he might join BJP, alleging that it appeared to be a conspiracy by the saffron party to tarnish his image.

He also said it was impossible for a Gandhian like him to ever join hands with "those who inherited Godse's legacy".

Reddy, son of former Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh late Marri Channa Reddy, in a statement here said there had been reports during the last several days which indicated he might join BJP.

This appeared to be part of a conspiracy to tarnish his image and erode his political credibility by "rumour mongering and spreading falsehood for which the BJP is well known for", he alleged.

Shashidhar Reddy, a former MLA, claimed he was a staunch Gandhian and he who would never compromise on the "principles and ideology of secularism."

He said he inherited such principles, politically from Congress, and personally from his father.

"For a Gandhian like me, joining hands with those who have inherited Godse's legacy is absolutely impossible," said Shashidhar Reddy, also a former vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).