Will join Congress in Rahul Gandhi’s presence in Khammam on July 2: Ponguleti

NEW DELHI: Former MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, suspended from the BRS along with Jupally Krishna Rao, has announced that he would be joining the Congress party in the presence of Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting in Khammam on July 2, 2023.

He, along with Jupally and 35 of their followers, held a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and All-India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikharjun Kharge in New Delhi on Monday evening. Speaking to the media after the 30-minute-long meeting, Srinivasa Reddy said that Sonia Gandhi had granted separate Telangana with the hope that the new State would flourish on all fronts. He claimed that nothing happened towards this end as the BRS Government had gone back on the promise of ‘water, funds and recruitments’ (Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyamakalu).

Srinivasa Reddy said that he, along with Jupally, held a series of meetings to get a grasp of the aspirations of various sections of people. Stating that they had received invitations from both the national parties and two regional parties to join their fold, he claimed that they had even contemplated floating their own regional party. But as they reaslied that any such move would only eat into the anti-incumbency vote, they dropped the idea. He also claimed that they decided to join the Congress party based on survey reports. Ponguleti hastened to add that their decision to join the Congress was not premised on them not being rewarded with suitable positions in the BRS.

Jupally Krishna Rao said that he did not receive the honour he deserved in the BRS despite his selfless contribution to the separate statehood agitation. Stating that the KCR-led BRS should be stopped from attaining power for the third straight time in the state, he felt that there was a need to express gratitude to Sonia Gandhi for carving out a separate Telangana State by voting the Congress to power.

TPCC chief Revanth Reddy, senior Telangana Congress leader Madhu Yashki Goud, party national spokesman Pawan Khera and others were also present on this occasion. After the press meet, Ponguleti, Jupally and the 35 other leaders went to Priyanka Gandhi’s residence for a meeting with her.