Suspended BRS leader Jupally Krishna Rao finally joins Congress

Hyderabad, Aug 3 (IANS) Former minister Jupally Krishna Rao and some other leaders from united Mahabubnagar district of Telangana on Thursday joined the Congress.

Krishna Rao, who was suspended from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) a few months ago for anti-party activities, joined the Congress along with former MLA Gurunath Reddy, BRS MLC Damodar Reddy’s son Rajesh Reddy and others.

Krishna Rao, who served as a minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, was welcomed into the party by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi.

AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal,  AICC in-charge for Telangana Manikrao Thakare, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy, Sampath Kumar, Mallu Ravi and other leaders were present.

Krishna Rao told reporters that he decided to return to the Congress as the BRS "failed" to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Telangana. He alleged that during the last nine years, Chief Minister KCR ruled Telangana in an "autocratic" manner.

“KCR is the most corrupt chief minister in the country,” he said.

The former minister said the BRS leader destroyed democratic institutions. He alleged that KCR was promoting his own family and spending hundreds of crores in elections.

Krishna Rao and former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy were among 35 leaders of BRS who had decided to join Congress in June after meeting Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Srinivasa Reddy had joined Congress party at a public meeting addressed by Rahul Gandhi at Khammam on July 2.

Krishna Rao and others wanted to join Congress at a public meeting to be addressed by party leader Priyanka Gandhi in Mahabubnagar. However, her visit was postponed twice due to heavy rains.

As the public meeting is not likely to be held any time soon due to Parliament and state Assembly sessions, the former minister and others went to Delhi to join the Congress in the presence of Kharge.

Krishna Rao and Srinivasa Reddy were suspended from BRS after they raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Krishna Rao is considered to be a leader with considerable political influence in undivided Mahabubnagar district, the Congress leaders hope that his joining will bolster the party’s prospects in the elections, due to be held in November-December.

It’s a homecoming for Krishna Rao, who was minister in Congress government in united Andhra Pradesh.

Krishna Rao had resigned from Congress to join BRS in 2011. He was elected from Kollapur constituency in Mahabubnagar district in 2014 on BRS ticket. He felt sidelined in the BRS after MLA Harshvardhan Reddy, who had defeated him in 2018 elections, switched his loyalties from Congress to BRS after Assembly polls.