Alleging conspiracy within Congress, Utttam Kumar’s denial of quitting sounds like swan song

HYDERABAD: Former President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) and Nalgonda MP Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday asserted that reports of his departure from the Congress party were entirely false and lacked any factual basis. Without taking names, Uttam Kumar expressed his disappointment, highlighting that a leader holding an important position within the Congress party has been purportedly behind the spread of these unfounded rumours. He believed that this concerted effort aimed to undermine his position within the party and tarnish his reputation in the public eye.

"I am proud to have served the Congress party loyally for 30 years continuously and have won 6 consecutive elections, without losing an election after 1994. My wife, Padmavathi Reddy, has been an MLA from Kodad, lost the 2018 assembly elections by a few hundred votes, and is living in Kodad and working for the people there to the best of her ability as also for the Congress party as Vice President of PCC, " Uttam Kumar said.

The Nalgonda MP clarified that he never met or spoke to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao except for formal interactions across the aisle during his five terms as MLA.

"I have been fortunate to have been elected 6 consecutive terms, 5 times as MLA and the 6th time as MP. As housing minister of combined Andhra Pradesh , I oversaw the largest ever building houses program ever in India after Independence. We have contributed the best years of our life, our wealth, our health, our family life and everything in our life in the service of the Congress party and for the general public," he added.