Political speculations change in TRS

Khammam: The TRS cadre and leaders were shocked as former Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao got unexpected respect in the party and from rival leaders in the ruling party.

TRS senior leader and former Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao was received with official respect and invited for official programmes held on Friday in Khammam by his rival Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar. Party cadre and leaders stated that it's an unexpected respect to Tummala Nageswara Rao in the party after a long gap. However, lower level cadre expressed happiness for the sudden development in the party in the wake of municipal corporation elections and Graduate MLC elections.

After tasting defeat in Palair Assembly elections, Tummala Nageswara Rao was away from active politics and restricted himself to his native place Gandugulapalli village in Dammapet mandal and Hyderabad. He was busy with cultivation in his native place. Group politics also reportedly one of the reasons for him maintaining distance from politics and there were rumours that he was neglected by the party leaders, who are playing key roles. It came to know that Tummala also serious about all this and spending time in farming and children houses.

But on Friday, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar and Rythu Coordination Committee State president Palla Rajeswara Reddy, after landing in Khammam by chopper from Hyderabad, directly went to Tummala Nageswara Rao's house and held discussions.

They invited him to several inaugurations and gave utmost respect at all official programmes in Khammam. With this sudden development, Tummala followers were both shocked and happy. It was rumoured that there were groups in the ruling party for the past some time. Tummala Nageswara Rao, MP Nama Nageswara Rao, Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar and former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy are maintaining separate groups and there is no coordination between them for many years.

Tummala Nageswara Rao's followers said the party has recognised their leader's importance in the coming municipal corporation elections and Graduate MLC elections, hence giving him sudden respect. But some leaders said that after defeating Dubbaka by-election, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao instructed the party leaders to work with coordination and no groups. Its learnt that the CM had entrusted the responsibility of coordination among the group to MP Nama Nageswara Rao, who recently visited Tummala Nageswara Rao and held discussions.