A buffed-up Cong eyes merger of BRS ahead of Assembly session

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is focusing to give a big blow to the legislature party of the BRS by forcing its merger with the CLP and making sure that the party has two-third of MLAs well before the budget sessions of the Assembly begin.

According to sources, the six more MLAs of the BRS were in touch with the Congress party and they are ready to give a shock to their party. Sources said that the majority of the city MLAs are in touch with the Congress party leaders. There are talks that along with the Rajendranagar MLA T Prakash Goud, another MLA from Serilingampally A Gandhi and two more MLCs including one of them from the community of the BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao is also looking to join the Congress party. The name of this MLC was recently heard in the phone tapping case. The other MLC to leave the BRS is said to be from the Karimnagar district.

The BRS has lost six of its MLAs in the past and the Rajendranagar MLA would be the seventh. The six MLAs include Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella), B Krishnamohan Reddy (Gadwal). Before the BRS leaders could come out of the shock, six of the party’s MLCs had also joined the Congress party – Dande Vital, Bhanuprasad Rao, MS Prabhakar, Boggaparu Dayanand, Egge Mallesh, and Basava Raj Saraiah.

Sources said that the Congress wants to take the revenge with the BRS party, which made the CLP to be merged with BRSLP in the past. As per the rule, two third members are needed for splitting the party and merging them. The BRS has a strength of 38 members and two-third would mean 26 members. If there are two-third members, the Anti-Defection law will not be applicable, said a senior leader in the Congress party. Meanwhile, Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender made sensational claims that only four MLAs will be left with BRS. He said that the BRSLP is going to be merged with the CLP soon. Talking to reporters here, Nagender said KCR ran the party like a corporate company. “The MLAs were unable to get even an appointment of KCR. Even if they get, they were made to sit for hours to meet him. The MLAs were seen as insects, hence they are leaving the BRS party. There is freedom in the Congress party hence all the BRS MLAs are showing interest to join the party,”said Nagender.