INN IMPACT: AP Congress 'Serious' On 'Flocking MPs' In TRS

Shaken by INN reports of three Telangana Congress MPs likely to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in these columns today, the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh started fire-fighting exercise with senior leaders cautioning their party colleagues from falling into the trap laid by the separatist party.

Of the 33 Lok Sabha seats won the Congress in 2009, already two MPs have quit the party to join YSR Congress while another Lok Sabha member has been playing an active role in the same party. If these three MPs also resign from the party, it will be a big setback to the ruling Congress, which has already lost its majority in the Lok Sabha.

AICC secretary and MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy said the Telangana MPs should not fall in the trap laid by TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao, who was moving with a one point agenda of going to elections which will realize Telangana. “It was Chandrasekhar Rao who made his supporters hurl chappals at the Congress MPs in the past,” Sudhakar Reddy said.


While Nagarkurnool MP Dr Manda Jagannadham is not able fight against Information Minister D K Aruna in Mahbubnagar district, Peddapalli MP Dr G Vivekanand has been engaged in a war with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for nearly two years. Similarly, Warangal MP S Rajaiah has been at logger heads with the party leadership for the last two and a half years as the latter failed to announce separate Telangana after Union Minister P Chidambaram made the statement in December 2009.

Government Chief Whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy, who dismissed the reports of the MPs joining TRS, sought how van they achieve statehood for the region by changing parties. “They are genii and should tell how Telangana will be formed,” he said and added that the party high command will take care of the issue.

Government Whip Toorupu Jayaprakash Reddy was more vocal and lashed at the TRS leader for trying to take away the party MPs. “The very fact that he is calling on the Congress leaders at their residences looking for candidates is a clear indication that the TRS has become weak. Chandrasekhar Rao will not win the next Lok Sabha election even if he contests from Medak,” Jayaprakash Reddy said.

“Our party is very strong and hence Praja Rajyam Party leader K Chiranjeevi merged his party with ours to strengthen it further,” Jayaprakash Reddy said.

Meanwhile Congress MP V Hanumantha Rao, who always chooses to gain entry into elected bodies only through back door, wanted that Jaganmohan Reddy be shifted to a prison outside Andhra Pradesh. The personal vendetta against the late YSR and over flowing frustration that he was not a match to Jagan or even an MLA of any political party were conspicuous in his blabber this was promptly highlighted by TV channels that are scared of Jagan. Even government chief whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy demonstrated his fear  by saying that Chanchalguda prison had become the reception counter for Jagan’s party. Even minister P Balaraju joined the chorus to sing paeans to the intemperate remarks made by Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy.

Pitani Satyanarayana, another minister, also endorsed the belove-dignity remarks of his colleagues against Jagan.

While there is clearly a pattern in launching a diatribe against Jagan Reddy, the Congress is now internally worried what with the prospect of MPs crossing over to the TRS.