TDP suspends MLA after meeting Jagan in jail

Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy may be behind bars in an illegal assets case but his YSR Congress (YSRC) party continues to trouble the ruling Congress as well as the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

A day after a Congress legislator switched loyalties to the YSR Congress, a legislator from TDP Tuesday created ripples by meeting Jagan, as Jaganmohan Reddy is popularly known, in the Chanchalguda Jail here.

Praveen Kumar Reddy, member of the legislative assembly from Tambalapalli in Chittoor district, the native district of TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, called on Jagan in the jail Tuesday morning. He plans to join the YSR Congress party.

Acting swiftly, the TDP suspended him from the party for indulging in "anti-party" activities.

The development came a day after Congress legislator M. Rajesh Kumar from Chintalapudi in West Godavari district joined the YSR Congress in the presence of party’s honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma, mother of Jagan.

TDP legislator Taneti Vanita, who represents Gopalapuram (SC reserved) constituency in West Godavari district, is also joining the YSR Congress Nov 4. She quit the TDP last Saturday.

At least six legislators from the Congress and the TDP have joined the YSR Congeess since the by-elections in June.

The fledgling party has bagged 15 of 18 assembly seats and Nellore Lok Sabha seat.
The by-elections to 17 of these assembly seats were caused by the resignation of Congress legislators, who switched loyalties to the  YSRC.

Jagan, who is an MP from Kadapa, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) just before the by-elections in an illegal assets case. The Supreme Court earlier this month dismissed his bail petition.

Legislators from the Congress and the TDP are joining the YSRC at a time when Jagan’s sister Sharmila is on a padyatra to keep the party afloat.