Telangana: Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Jupally Krishna Rao suspended for anti-party activities
Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao
Hyderabad: Khammam politics is set to take a new turn as the BRS party has suspended former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao from the party for alleged anti-party activities. The suspension came a day after Krishna Rao joined Srinivas Reddy, who had already raised the banner of revolt against the leadership. Krishna Rao on Sunday attended an Athmeeya Sammelanam programme organised by Srinivas Reddy in Kothagudem and slammed KCR for suppression of democratic voices.
This has fuelled speculations that both leaders may join BJP. On the other hand, the Congress party is contemplating to rope them into the party.
Soon after the suspension, Srinivas Reddy said BRS had failed to fulfil promises it had made to people and employees. Srinivas Reddy was elected to the Lok Sabha from Khammam on YSR Congress Party ticket in 2014, later switched loyalties to TRS. He alleged that TRS leadership had made many promises but failed to fulfil them. He also said that party MPs used to tell him in Delhi that he would see the real side of KCR after six months but KCR started side lining him after five months itself. He said this time BRS would lose all 10 assembly seats in the district.
Krishna Rao had resigned from the Congress to join TRS in 2011. He was elected from Kollapur in 2014 on a TRS ticket. Rao felt sidelined in the party after MLA Harshvardhan Reddy, who had defeated him in Kollapur constituency in Mahbubnagar district in 2018, switched loyalties from the Congress to BRS. He raised a banner of revolt after he was not even invited for the January 18 public meeting organised by BRS in Khammam.
Meanwhile, State Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy and other BRS leaders said the party cannot accept if some individuals try to hurt the organisation because what they wanted did not happen. It cannot be tolerated if any leaders behave as if they are above the party, he said while referring to the suspension of the two leaders.