Lone CPI MLA, top Congressmen joining TRS

​Hyderabad: Political defections entered a new chapter in Telangana on Monday with the lone CPI legislator along with key Congress leaders sharing common dais to announce their intention to join hands with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in realizing the dream of ‘Bangaru Telangana’.

CPI MLA representing Devarakonda R Ravindra Kumar along with the Congress leaders declared that they were leaving their respective national parties to build a strong and vibrant Telangana.

The Congress, which has been plagued with serious internal differences, suffered a major jolt after former MP G Vivek and his brother a former MLA G Vinod announced that they would be officially joining the TRS party along with MP Gutha Sukender Reddy and MLA N Bhaskar Rao and some other leaders on June 15 in the presence of KCR.

Other leaders who would be joining TRS include former Congress Minister J Narsing Rao and his brother J Krishna Rao. Reacting to the decision of his party MLA, CPI Telangana state council secretary Chada Venkat Reddy stated that Ravindra Kumar’s defection to the ruling party mirrors the emerging unholy political culture being encouraged in Telangana and the arrogance of TRS and its lust for power.

He warned the TRS that a time would come when it would have to swallow the bitter pill for encouraging unholy political defections. He also announced the expulsion of Ravindra Kumar from the party accusing him of setting aside party principles and getting carried away by the lure of money and power.

CPI national secretary K Narayana lashed out at the legislators in Telangana for shifting loyalties to the ruling party for selfish gains. He advised all defectors not to preach sermons and keep quiet like thieves stung by a scorpion.

The unscrupulous leaders should not come out with a theory that they were constrained to join the ruling party in the interest of their constituency as well as for transforming the state into ‘Bangaru Telangana’.

During the press conference organised at the residence of Vivek in Somajiguda on Monday, Nalgonda MP Sukender Reddy said his decision to leave the party was triggered by frequent infighting and leadership crisis in the Congress party.

Recalling the Congress of yesteryears, he said that the current leadership was not able to contain the problem. “The differences have reached a crescendo. This is one of the main reasons why I am leaving the party,” he maintained.

Nalgonda DCC president Bhikshamaiah Goud accused all those who deserted the party for greener political pastures of backstabbing AICC president Sonia Gandhi, who magnanimously conceded a separate state by honoring the sacrifices and sentiments of the people of Telangana.

He lashed out at the party leaders for quitting Congress for temporary gains and demanded that MP Gutha Sukhendar Reddy, former MP G Vivek, former minister G Vinod and Bhaskar Rao resign from the party membership before joining the TRS. He also made it clear that though the leaders have shifted their loyalties for pecuniary gains, the party cadre would remain intact.