After the planned programmes cancelled due to inclement weather in Telangana, several leaders of Mahabubagar district joined the Congress in New Delhi in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (August 3).
Former Minister and suspended BRS leader Jupally Krishna Rao was welcomed into the party by Mr. Kharge at his residence along with several leaders from the erstwhile Mahabubagar and Nizamabad districts. Mr. Jupally, who was a Minister in the Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy government and also in the K. Chandrashekhar Rao government after the formation of Telangana, decided to leave the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) a few months ago.
The former BRS leaders had earlier planned to join the Congress at a public meeting to be held at Kollapur in the combined Mahbubnagar district in the presence of Priyanka Gandhi. However, the programme was cancelled twice due to inclement weather.
Mr. Jupally lost to Congress candidate Beeram Harshvardhan Reddy from the Kollapur constituency in the 2018 Assembly elections. Mr. Reddy later defected to the BRS party. Since then, Mr. Krishna Rao was finding it tough politically to continue in the BRS and had revolted in the local body elections against the party. Candidates fielded by him defeated the BRS candidates in several areas, further widening the gap between him and the party.
Other prominent persons who joined the party included five-time MLA from Kodangal Gurnath Reddy apart from Kuchukulla Rakesh Reddy, son of BRS MLC Kuchukulla Damodar Reddy. Kodangal Municipal Chairman of the ruling party Jagadeeshwar Reddy, Mandal Praja Parishad (MPP) members Megha Reddy, Kicha Reddy, Mudappa Deshmukh Narayan Reddy and retired police officer Nagaraju were among others.
Later, speaking to the media, Mr. Krishna Rao said people have already decided to vote out the BRS party that has ‘ruined’ the State. He said people have decided to pay their gratitude to Sonia Gandhi, who delivered Telangana despite the political hurdles and losing out power.
TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was forced to announce the farm loan waiver at last after delaying it for four years as he had realised that Congress promised ₹2 lakhs farm loan waiver as soon as it comes back to power. He said people were not willing to believe Mr. Rao as they realised that his every move is related to elections and not welfare of the people or to fulfil the promises made during the elections.
