Munugodu triggers Operation Akarsh

Hyderabad: It appears to be poaching time in Telangana. With Congress senior leader and Munugodu MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy resigning from the party and state Assembly, political heat in the state seems to be picking up fast.

The TPCC leadership is worried that some more leaders will follow Rajagopal Reddy. They are in the process of identifying the possible leaders both at grassroot level and at state level and try to see that they put a stop to any further damage.

The BJP seems to have started implementing its 'Operation Akarsh' seriously and they feel that Rajagopal Reddy was a big fish. They also are looking for more such important leaders both from Congress and TRS.

Rajagopal Reddy has been making sharp comments against the TPCC in general and its president Revanth Reddy in particular. The BJP feels that with the joining of Rajagopal Reddy, the party will get stronger in old Nalgonda, Khammam, Rangareddy and Mahbubnagar districts.

Senior Congress leaders still hold sway in many assembly constituencies in these districts and the Congress till recently felt that they were on a strong wicket here. But BJP is now said to be in talks with the Congress leaders in these districts. The TRS is not only keeping a close watch on the developments but is making some quick and aggressive moves to weaken Congress and BJP. Recently, some BJP Municipal Councillors in , Warangal, Nizamabad and Khammam municipal corporations joined TRS in the presence of TRS working president KT Rama Rao.

The ruling party is analyzing the weakness and strengths of the TRS in every assembly constituency. Based on the local political equations, the Telangana party is inviting the rival party leaders to join TRS.

Meanwhile, a comment by the TRS leader from and former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao that elections could come any time and soon there would be electrifying news breaks speculating about his quitting TRS.

This comment gained credence as it came a day after E Pradeep Rao, brother of Panchayat Raj Minister E Dayakar Rao, hinted that he was about to quit the pink party.

However, sources said that there was no truth in the rumors that Tummala was going to quit. The TRS leadership had already spoken to Tummala who told them that he was not going to quit TRS. Now, the TRS wants to go in for reverse migration and attract people from BJP and Congress. The party leadership says that the pink party is still the strongest one in the state and people, the cadre and the leaders were with it.