Jagga Reddy scotches BJP buzz on Congress’ survival in State

Hyderabad: Challenging the notion of BJP MP Dr K Laxman, who cast doubts about the Congress party’s survival in the State, PCC working president T Jagga Reddy held that, in contrast to what the BJP believes, the Congress was already bound to survive till the next Assembly polls. He likened the BJP to a snake lying on Shivling and said that people fear it till it remains there, and once it gets down, people will not hesitate to get rid of it.

Speaking to the media persons at Gandhi Bhavan, the former Sangareddy MLA asserted that the Congress party that got the people’s mandate in the Assembly polls may increase its strength to 90, which includes BJP MLAs, but unlike Laxman’s forecasts, the merger of BRS into Congress would never happen. Congress in Telangana would be gaining more strength as scores of BRS and BJP MLAs remained in touch and may join in the coming days. “Apart from 20 BRS MLAs and 4 to 5 from the BJP, our strength will be somewhere around 90. But the present BRS leadership is in no mood to merge the party with Congress. Moreover, BRS MLAs joining the Congress would only add to its strength,” he felt.

While emphasising that the Congress and its leaders always stood by their word, Jagga Reddy, while referring to the unfulfilled poll promises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the BJP leaders were deceivers. “Rather than fulfilling the promises like providing two crore jobs to the nation’s youth, they are seeking votes in the name of religion and Gods. The BJP is like a snake lying on Shivling, which is revered by devotees. Once this snake gets away, people will not keep quiet,” he explained.