Tweet
Andhra Cong in disarray as defection rumours fly
Even as the storm triggered by the alleged letter of Union Minister Kishore Chandra Deo against the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and State Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana could subside, Congress party has been hit by fresh speculations about the exodus of its MPs and MLAs to other parties, particularly the YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
A day after a Congress member of Lok Sabha from Bhongir, K Rajagopal, publicly praised former Chief Minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy to trigger speculations that he might be heading for YSR Congress, many other Congress leaders also followed suite.
Another Congress MP from Nalgonda district of Telangana, Gutta Sukhinder Reddy, said that no other leader had done so much for the development of his district as YSR had. He listed out several irrigation projects that were taken up during YSR’s regime.
Interestingly, Gutta’s name figures in the list of seven Congress MPs who were reportedly planning to quit the party and join TRS in protest against the failure of the party leadership in fulfilling the demand for separate Telagnana state.
Yet another leader from the same Nalgonda district, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, also praised YSR and said that he will not tolerate if any body criticises the late Chief Minister. Komatireddy is the brother of MP K Rajagopal and had resigned from the State Cabinet on the issue of Telangana. Venkat Reddy alleged that YSR’ son YS Jaganmohan Reddy was framed in a false case of corruption. He threatened that if the party high command and Central Government do not make an announcement on Telangana soon, he will resign from the Assembly. He urged Ministers from Telangana to resign and join the struggle for separate state.
But another Congress member of Lok Sabha from Telagnana, Manda Jagannatham, on Tuesday denied that he was planning to join TRS. His name also figures in the list of 7 MPs reportedly planning to quit Congress. “Some vested interests were spreading these rumours. There is no truth in these reports”, he said.
Reports had suggested that at least seven Congress MPs and 10 MLAs as well as and 16 MLAs of TDP were planning to join TRS.
Congress has already lost two of its 33 Lok Sabha seats to YSR Congress party. There are indications that one more Lok Sabha member from Andhra, Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, was planning to quit the party and join the YSRCP.
The speculations of defections have also hit the Telugu Desam badly. A senior party leader from Anantapur district of Rayalaseema, P Keshav, on Tuesday broke down at a press conference at TDP headquarters in Hyderabad while denying reports of his possible defection to YSR Congress. “I fought against YSR tooth and nail. Where is the question of my joining the YSR Congress? These reports are being spread by YSRCP leaders to create confusion in our party”, he said.
Similar, speculations were doing rounds about senior TDP leader of Guntur district and former Union Minister Ummareddy Venkateshwarulu. Sources said that the veteran was likely to meet YS Jaganmohan Reddy in jail in a few days and formally announce his decision to join YSR Congress.
TDP has already suffered a major setback and two of its MLAs from Chittoor district have quit the party and decided to join the YSRCP. Chitoor is the home district of party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
Meanwhile YSR Congress party received a shot in the arm in Khammam district when Jalagam Venkata Rao, son of former Chief Minister J Vengal Rao formally joined the party. Venkat is a former MLA of Congress party.
The confusion in Congress has peaked at a time when pressure was mounting on the party high command to effect a change of leadership in the state.
Even as the storm triggered by the alleged letter of Union Minister Kishore Chandra Deo against the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and State Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana could subside, Congress party has been hit by fresh speculations about the exodus of its MPs and MLAs to other parties, particularly the YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
A day after a Congress member of Lok Sabha from Bhongir, K Rajagopal, publicly praised former Chief Minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy to trigger speculations that he might be heading for YSR Congress, many other Congress leaders also followed suite.
Another Congress MP from Nalgonda district of Telangana, Gutta Sukhinder Reddy, said that no other leader had done so much for the development of his district as YSR had. He listed out several irrigation projects that were taken up during YSR’s regime.
Interestingly, Gutta’s name figures in the list of seven Congress MPs who were reportedly planning to quit the party and join TRS in protest against the failure of the party leadership in fulfilling the demand for separate Telagnana state.
Yet another leader from the same Nalgonda district, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, also praised YSR and said that he will not tolerate if any body criticises the late Chief Minister. Komatireddy is the brother of MP K Rajagopal and had resigned from the State Cabinet on the issue of Telangana. Venkat Reddy alleged that YSR’ son YS Jaganmohan Reddy was framed in a false case of corruption. He threatened that if the party high command and Central Government do not make an announcement on Telangana soon, he will resign from the Assembly. He urged Ministers from Telangana to resign and join the struggle for separate state.
But another Congress member of Lok Sabha from Telagnana, Manda Jagannatham, on Tuesday denied that he was planning to join TRS. His name also figures in the list of 7 MPs reportedly planning to quit Congress. “Some vested interests were spreading these rumours. There is no truth in these reports”, he said.
Reports had suggested that at least seven Congress MPs and 10 MLAs as well as and 16 MLAs of TDP were planning to join TRS.
Congress has already lost two of its 33 Lok Sabha seats to YSR Congress party. There are indications that one more Lok Sabha member from Andhra, Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, was planning to quit the party and join the YSRCP.
The speculations of defections have also hit the Telugu Desam badly. A senior party leader from Anantapur district of Rayalaseema, P Keshav, on Tuesday broke down at a press conference at TDP headquarters in Hyderabad while denying reports of his possible defection to YSR Congress. “I fought against YSR tooth and nail. Where is the question of my joining the YSR Congress? These reports are being spread by YSRCP leaders to create confusion in our party”, he said.
Similar, speculations were doing rounds about senior TDP leader of Guntur district and former Union Minister Ummareddy Venkateshwarulu. Sources said that the veteran was likely to meet YS Jaganmohan Reddy in jail in a few days and formally announce his decision to join YSR Congress.
TDP has already suffered a major setback and two of its MLAs from Chittoor district have quit the party and decided to join the YSRCP. Chitoor is the home district of party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
Meanwhile YSR Congress party received a shot in the arm in Khammam district when Jalagam Venkata Rao, son of former Chief Minister J Vengal Rao formally joined the party. Venkat is a former MLA of Congress party.
The confusion in Congress has peaked at a time when pressure was mounting on the party high command to effect a change of leadership in the state.
