Warangal: Rajaiah's veiled attack at Srihari

Warangal: In a veiled attack against MLC Kadiyam Srihari, former Deputy CM and Station Ghanpur MLA Thatikonda Rajaiah, terming himself as a local, claimed that he alone has developed the constituency that languished in backwardness.

It may be noted here that the rivalry between the two leaders dates back to 2004. Despite the TRS leadership's advice to stay calm, both the leaders have been continuing their fight for one-upmanship in the constituency, the TRS leaders say. Srihari represented Station Ghanpur in 1994 and 1999, while Rajaiah won the seat in 2009, 2012 by-poll, 2014 and 2018.

The reason behind the latest flare up is said to be an election meeting of TRS Graduate Council nominee Palla Rajeshwar Reddy held at Dharmasagar. A couple of graduates, believed to be of TRS, who participated in the meeting, said that they would vote for Palla if Srihari was assured to contest from Station Ghanpur in 2023 elections. Further, they said they haven't witnessed any development in the last few years.

This reportedly caused anguish to Rajaiah. He said, "In a survey conducted by KCR, my name surfaced after KTR and Harish Rao, who dedicatedly worked for our respective constituencies. Such was my commitment." Some leaders, who don't even have an address in Station Ghanpur, were trying to tarnish my image, he said, in a veiled criticism against Srihari.