Narsa Reddy, Ramulu Naik join Cong ahead of Telangana polls

​New Delhi: In a setback to the TRS ahead of the December 7 Assembly elections, two of its senior leaders joined the Congress on Saturday. Telangana State Road Development Corporation (TSRDC) chairman T Narsa Reddy and Member of the Telangana Legislative Council S Ramulu Naik joined the Congress in the presence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

The TRS had suspended Narsa Reddy for anti-party activities on Friday. Ramulu Naik, a founder member of the TRS, was also suspended from the party on similar grounds last week. TRS leader and Rajya Sabha member D Srinivas also met Rahul Gandhi on the day and expressed his desire to return to the party. 

Srinivas, who was in the Congress since 1969, had switched loyalties to the TRS in 2015, a year after the party formed the first government in the newly-created Telangana state. Srinivas had served as a minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh and also headed the state unit of the Congress.

Congress general secretary RC Khuntia, who is in charge of party affairs in Telangana, told reporters that Narsa Reddy and Ramulu Naik joining the party would further bolster the party's prospects. As Narsa Reddy hails from Gajwel, a constituency represented by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Khuntia hoped it would help the Congress defeat the TRS chief on his home turf. 

It was home coming for Narsa Reddy, who had contested against TRS chief as Congress candidate in 2014 elections. V Pratap Reddy, who had contested the election from Gajwel as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in 2014 and finished runner-up, joined the Congress six months ago. Both Narsa Reddy and Ramulu Naik alleged that there is no respect for leaders in the TRS as KCR remains inaccessible to them. They alleged that the TRS government had benefited only KCR's family.