Chandy invites Kiran back into Congress fold

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Congress affairs in-charge and former Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy on Sunday met former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and invited him to come back to the party.

Oommen Chandy, who has been endeavoring to bring back the Congress leaders of AP who left the party, arrived in Hyderabad and met Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday morning and held discussions. He was accompanied by former Union minister MM Pallam Raju.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Chandy said that the present period was crucial not only to the Congress but also to the entire country. He said that all leaders should unite against the current regime setting aside differences.

He said that former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was a good friend of him and he had invited Kiran into the Congress fold. He hoped that the he would take a positive decision on the issue.

Pallam Raju said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi invited all the leaders who left the Congress to come back and added that Kiran Kumar Reddy told him that he would take a decision soon.

The former Union minister said that people of Andhra Pradesh want return of the Congress government and opined that a strong leadership was needed for a strong party.

Meanwhile, Oommen Chandy had a meeting with the senior leaders of AP Congress at Indira Bhavan, AP Congress headquarters in Hyderabad, on Sunday. The meeting was attended by Pallam Raju, Rajya Sabha member KVP Ramachandra Rao and others.