Former BRS leader and MLC Kasireddy Narayana Reddy and other elected representatives from Kalwakurthy Assembly Constituency, Telangana, joined the Congress Party in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at Rajaji Marg in New Delhi on 06 October, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Member of Legislative Council of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) Kasireddy Narayana Reddy joined the Congress party in the presence of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Friday.
He was accompanied by his followers and leaders from the BRS from the combined Mahbubnagar district. Mr. Kharge welcomed him into the party offering the party scarf.
Mr. Narayan Reddy earlier announced his decision to quit the BRS apparently unable to digest that he was not offered the Kalwakurthy Assembly ticket of the BRS as the party retained the sitting MLA, Jaipal Yadav. In fact, he made an attempt to contest in 2018 itself but was asked by the party to wait.
After announcing his resignation in a letter written to the BRS chief and Chief Minister, K. Chandrashekhar Rao, Mr. Narayan Reddy said he was convinced with the six guarantees of the Telangana Congress announced by Sonia Gandhi at a public meeting in Hyderabad on 17 September, 2023 after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.
He met Telangana Congress president, A. Revanth Reddy and expressed his desire to join the party. The party apparently also asked him to meet former Kalwakurthy MLA and AICC Secretary (Organisation) Vamshichand Reddy and seek his support as well. Mr. Vamshichand also extended his support before Mr. Narayana Reddy went to New Delhi to join the party.
Mr. Narayana Reddy is expected to contest from Kalwakurthy constituency and reportedly got assurance from the party though the Congress is yet to announce its list. Before joining politics, he established Brilliant Grammar Schools across the city and other parts of the state.
The new entrant into Congress is likely to further strengthen the Congress party in the combined Mahbubnagar district which already has several stalwarts. The party is hoping to win big in this district, where the Chief Minister recently inaugurated the first pump of the Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).
Mr. Reddy said though the project is named after Kalwakurthy, the constituency will not benefit from the project. The government failed to provide compensation for land acquisition, and farmers were angry that they had to sacrifice their lands for irrigating some other parts. He said that as MLC he could not get any development in the constituency as there was no support from the government. Only the MLAs get priority and not the MLCs in the BRS, he claimed.
Revanth attacks KTR and Harish
Speaking to reporters after the joining, TPCC president, Mr. Revanth Reddy appreciated Mr. Vamshichand Reddy for sacrificing his seat in the interests of the party. Other leaders should take note of it and support the party’s decision on the tickets.
Mr. Reddy criticised IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao and Finance Minister T. Harish Rao for questioning the Congress party’s contribution to Telangana and said the power enjoyed by them was due to the Congress party’s decision to grant statehood to Telangana. He advised them to ask Mr. KCR about the Congress party’s contribution as he had himself admitted in the Assembly.
He said schemes like Arogyasri, Fee Reimbursement, and Farm Loan waiver that gave confidence to every section were started by the Congress. He also questioned the stepmotherly treatment of other constituencies not represented by Mr. KCR’s family. “Why such discrimination?” he asked.
