The Congress party appears to have started poaching on Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislators with the latter’s MLA Gaddam Aravind Reddy from Mancherial in Adilabad district making up his mind to join the ruling party sooner than later.
The ruling party is believed to have resorted to this action since the TRS is delaying its merger with Congress even after the TRS president’s assurance about it immediately after commencement of the process for formation of Telangana State.
Mr. Aravind Reddy admitted during informal chat with reporters in the Assembly lobbies on Friday that he had called on AICC general secretary in-charge of AP Digvijay Singh in Delhi earlier this week. He made it clear that he would join the Congress if TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao fails to go ahead with the merger.
More to followSources said a few more MLAs were supposed to accompany Mr. Aravind Reddy to Delhi but they were said to have changed their mind in the last minute.
The TRS leadership is said to have resorted to fire-fighting measures to prevent chances of further desertions as it would spoil the party’s chances to contest and win most of the MLA seats in Telangana in the next elections. Sources in TRS said the party had given up on Mr. Aravind Reddy since he had made-up his mind. Those like Mr. Aravind Reddy who had developed fears about not getting party ticket in the next election could attempt defection, a senior TRS leader said.
‘Ticket unlikely’He had developed a feeling of insecurity in his constituency since the Singareni workers’ union president was a strong follower of party’s Floor Leader in Assembly, Eetala Rajender. The union had sway over 70,000 votes in the constituency, the TRS leader explained.
