Hyderabad: Personal grievances are likely to drive some senior leaders of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to abandon the party just before the Assembly elections to be held next month.
A senior state Congress leader said, “Visweswar Reddy and others were to join the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi today, but at the last minute the programme was changed as Rahul Gandhi is busy with selection of candidates.” There is some speculation that Mr Visweswar Reddy sent his resignation letter to TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday.
However, Mr Visweswar Reddy has denied all this. He told this newspaper: “I never said I am joining the Congress. When some reporters asked that the people are saying that I am going to join the BJP, I said if people think like that, yes, I am joining.” He later met IT minister K.T. Rama Rao.
TRS MLC K. Yadava Reddy and former MLC Jagadish Reddy are also likely to join the Congress. Mr Jagadish Reddy confirmed that he is joining the Congress. There is speculation that Mahabubabad TRS MP Sitaram Naik is also likely to join the Congress, though when he was asked about this, he denied it. He told this newspaper: “Congress leaders, particularly Revanth Reddy, are playing mind games. Why should I leave the TRS which made me an MP and is doing a lot of development for Scheduled Tribes and Castes?”
Some MPs are waiting to see the outcome of the Assembly elections before they decide to jump ship. One TRS MP from north Telangana is also thinking of joining the Congress. A businessman, who is a strong supporter of the Congress and was a close associate of the late CM Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, is in touch with this MP.
