TDP leader in Telangana may join Congress as party warms up to TRS

In a major shock to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N Chandrababu Naidu, Anumula Revanth Reddy, the Telangana state party working president and floor leader in the state Assembly, is all set to join the Congress. Reddy recently met AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi in this regard.
 
Reddy, who has been waging a war against Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), is reportedly upset over the recent bonhomie between TDP and its arch rival, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). There was also news that a tie-up was imminent between the two parties. The rumours soon turned into a reality, with Rao attending the wedding ceremony of late Paritala Ravi’s son and senior TDP leader Payyavula Kesav seeing him off at the helipad.

“The issue of a tie-up with any party will be taken up at an appropriate time, close to elections. There is no such plan of a tie-up with TRS in Telangana,” Naidu said answering a question by a reporter in Amaravati.

The two parties cosying up to each other has upset Reddy, a close confidant of Naidu. Reddy was incarcerated for months in the cash-for-vote case for allegedly offering Rs 50 lakh to a TRS Anglo Indian MLC.

As Naidu seems to have made up his mind to save his party in Telangana by entering into a winning coalition, a dejected Revanth took the offer made by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).

He met Rahul on Tuesday and is said to have submitted his wishlist, including the position of a working president of TPCC. While there is no immediate confirmation of Reddy’s meeting with Rahul, the Telangana TDP said that Revanth was in Delhi to take a legal opinion. However, TPCC sources say Reddy’s entry into the  Congress was imminent and he would formally join the party in the presence of Rahul Gandhi.

Firing his first salvo against Naidu, Reddy, at a press conference, wanted to know from KCR, why Andhra Pradesh ministers (of TDP) were favoured by the Telangana government in awarding contracts and projects. He started raising issues that would hurt the interests of his own partymen. Also, Naidu is said to have refused to meet Reddy in Amaravati, before leaving for the US.