HYDERABAD: The BRS leadership took a serious view of party MLC Kuchukulla Damodar Reddy holding discussions with TPCC leader Mallu Ravi on joining the Congress. Pictures of their meeting appeared prominently in the media on Sunday.
Party sources said BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao discussed the issue with senior leaders and is learnt to have expressed severe anger at the meeting. Chandrashekar Rao reportedly made it clear that he would not tolerate 'anti-party activities' and would adopt a tough stand against anyone who sabotaged the party prospects.
Rao is learnt to have asked the government chief whip in the Legislative Council, T. Bhanu Prasad Rao, to submit a petition to the Council chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy seeking disqualification of Damodar Reddy, if he joins the Congress. Damodar Reddy was nominated as MLC in January 2022 and his tenure ends in January 2028. He is a former Congress leader.
In 2019, three TRS MLCs, R. Bhupathi Reddy, K. Yadava Reddy and Ramulu Naik were disqualified from the Council after they joined the Congress just prior to the Assembly elections in December 2018.
In April, Chandrashekar Rao suspended senior leaders Jupally Krishna Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy for indulging in anti-party activities. He reportedly had stated that the party had nothing to lose with the suspension of such leaders, citing the examples of Bhupathi Reddy and Ramulu Naik, who contested elections on Congress tickets and had lost to the TRS.
