Minister Jayaram quits YSRCP, joins TDP

Vijayawada: Giving a jolt to YSRCP ahead of Assembly elections, labour and employment minister Gummanur Jayaram on Tuesday resigned from the party and joined TDP in the presence of party chief N Chandrababu Naidu during Jayaho BC meeting later in the day on Tuesday.

Speaking to media persons earlier here on Tuesday, the minister said that he was resigning from party primary membership, Assembly and minister post as he got fed up with Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy attitude and his policies. The minister who hails from BC community alleged that the YSRCP has been neglecting BCs. He said though Jagan claims empowering BCs, the party leaders have no power, he said.

Citing an example of Kurnool district, Jayaram said that the combined district has 14 Assembly constituencies. Of them one seat each was given to Muslims, SCs and BCs. Jagan Mohan Reddy had taken away seats of one Boya, one Muslim and two SCs represented by them earlier. He said that there is no justice for BCs during Jagan’s rule.

Jayaram said that Jagan Mohan Reddy asked him to contest as Kurnool MP, for which he was not inclined. He said that while Jagan Mohan Reddy remained as a statue and acting as per directions of Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and Dhanunjaya Reddy. He said that he had been sailing with YSRCP for the past 12 years. He said that he failed to get funds for development of his Aluru constituency despite repeated appeals, adding that there is no chance for MLAs to meet Chief Minister directly due to the middlemen.

“As the YSRCP assigned another candidate for my constituency (Alur), I felt hurt and left the party,” he said. Jayaram said TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu asked him whether he wanted to contest from Kurnool or Anantapur, but he chose Guntakal as he wanted to serve the region where he was born.