Hyderabad: Uncertainty continued over the future of YSR Congress MLA Bhooma Nagireddy, despite his party claiming that he would not desert it for the Telugu Desam.
The YSRC?s statement that talk of Mr Nagireddy switching over to the TD was baseless came after party MP Y.V. Subba Reddy and other leaders held discussions with the MLA in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Sources said party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and honorary president Y.S. Vijayalakshmi also spoke with Mr Nagi-reddy over phone and tried to convince him to continue with the party.
After the discussions with Mr Nagireddy, Mr Subba Reddy told the media that the MLA will continue in the party, even as sources close to him said that he may join the TD after February 26.
Meanwhile, in the wake of Mr Nagireddy’s reported decision to leave the YSRC, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy held a meeting wi-th party MLAs from Kur-nool district which was attended by S.V. Mohan Reddy who is the brother-in-law of Mr Nagireddy, Gauru Sucharitha, Jayar-amulu, Buddha Rajasek-har and Ijayya.
After the meeting, Mr Mohan Reddy attributed the reports regarding Mr Nagireddy’s departure from the party to “malicious propaganda of the TD”. He said that all YSRC MLAs have full faith in the leadership of Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy and there was hardly any reason for them to switch sides.
Mr Mohan Reddy said “The TD is indulging in propaganda to cover up its failures and loss of face in Telangana state. We have no reason to sw-itch over to the TD, a par-ty with falling stock in wake of its failed promises.”
He said that they won on YSRC ticket and will be faithful to the party.
Mr Mohan Reddy said that the absence of Mr Nagireddy and his daughter from the meeting held by Mr Jagan Mohan Re-ddy was due to their prior commitments, and their statements on their fut-ure would come soon.
When asked about Mr Nagireddy’s absence from the meeting, Mr Mohan Reddy said “The party holds him in high esteem. He was made the PAC chairman. He has never said that he was unhappy with the YSRC.”
TD trying to woo over YSRC MLAs
The TD is said to be making efforts to attract YSRC MLAs in East Godavari into its fold. But it is learnt that the MLAs are not inclined to believe TD from past experience. There are four YSRC MLAs, Tuni (Dadisetty Rama-lingeswara Rao), Prat-hipadu (Varupula Subba Rao), Jyothula Venkata Appa Rao (Nehru) of Jaggampet and Chirla Jaggireddy (Kothapet). Two of them, Jyo-thula Nehru and Varu-pula Subba Rao, have worked in TD in the past. According to TD sources, some of their leaders who are in close touch with them, will approach the MLAs and try to exert pressure on them.
However, the party and constituency in-charges in TD are objecting to the move due to their future political career. “We won't think of our political career or other reasons for existing constituency incharges. The CM has taken a decision to str-engthen the party by lu-ring other party cadres, in particular from YSRC. We will engage in that work,” a senior leader of TD said.
He said at present the YSRC was creating mo-re hurdles for development and TD wanted to cut the YSRC’s prospe-cts in the villages.
However, at present, the MLAs are not keen on believing TD nor do they want to shift their loyalties from YSRC for their own reasons.
Tuni MLA D.Raja is facing hardships from TD leaders in his constituency. Prathipadu MLA Varupula Subba Rao, who was in TD once upon a time, did not want to rejoin the party as he had met with injustice from it in the past, CM Naidu not having considered giving him a party ticket in previous elections.
“We don’t want to even think of shifting their loyalty. Even one MLA would not attract TD leaders as they were in comfortable positions in YSRC,” he said.
