Vijayashanti ready for any role in Congress

Hyderabad: Congress leader and yesteryear film actress Vijayashanti on Thursday said that she was ready to take up any assignment being given by the party high command and was ready to join the party activities whenever the high command wants.

In an informal chat with mediapersons at her residence, the former MP said that her sole objective was to bring Congress back to power at the Centre and in the state. “It would be a fitting gift to party's former president Sonia Gandhi who has given statehood to Telangana,” she said.

Vijayashanti said that she was not after any post in the government if Congress is elected to power. Even she was not intending to contest Assembly or Parliament elections. However, she would campaign in the elections if the high command desires.

She said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and leader of Telangana movement had backstabbed her. She said that her party Talli Telangana was merged with Telangana Rashtra Samithi on the insistence of Prof Jayasankar and TRS chief KCR. “However, I was suspended from the party in the midnight without giving any reason,” Vijayashanti said.

The former MP said that the feedback she has was that the government's performance was not up to the mark. Freedom of the leaders who have been opposing the government has been suppressed. “I am surprised to see that the suppression is much higher than in the combined state,” she said.      

Vijayashanti faulted the government for restricting TJAC chairman Kodadaram and MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga. The media is threatened and its voice has been muted at Centre and in states.

She said that the media which has covered several agitations live during the Telangana movement is now silent about the government’s failures. She was silent for the past three-and-a- half years as the people have given mandate in favour of Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Vijayashanti said that she was lucky to see that Telangana has been formed for which she has fought for 20 years. She said that on January 26, her political journey would be two decades-old and was ready to continue it for two more decades.

She alleged that film star Pawan Kalyan and Chief Minister Chandrasekhara Rao have their own vested interests in promoting the Jana Sena Party in Telangana. They would come out in their true colours in due course of time. She said that people of Telangana are smart enough to know how to deal with films and politics.

The former star alleged that those who have fought for Telangana have been harassed. She made it clear that it was the people who would judge the ruling of the TRS in the state, despite commendations given by the Prime Minister.

Vijayashanti alleged that the present Chandrasekhara Rao was different from the one during the Telangana movement. She said that she has no intention to act in films and refused to act in ‘Ramulamma-2’. She said that she was comfortable in Congress and has good relations with the party state leaders and with the high command. She was inactive for few years due to a surgery.