Two weeks ago, a senior Congress functionary called Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari. This was a part of the party’s effort to reach out to some senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders asking them to consider contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on the behalf of Congress
By not announcing the Warangal SC reserved seat, Congress party kept the channel open for Mr. Srihari, a leader with over three decades of political experience. After two weeks of deliberations within the family and also with his followers, he seem to be considering the option.
“As of now, I cannot reveal anything. But I will come out with his plans in a day or two,” he told The Hindu when asked about the rumours. He also agreed that the Congress had been making efforts to talk to him for some time by offering the Warangal seat, but he had not responded positively.
Annoyed with KCR
Mr. Srihari is said to be seriously concerned over the attitude of the former Chief Minister and BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao. At a time when the party is in a disarray and the cadre’s morale down, KCR is in his farmhouse without making efforts to infuse some confidence. Leadership in the districts is clueless about the party’s future and their political fortunes as well with the party activity going directionless.
In fact, the same were mentioned by his daughter in her letter to the BRS chief, while withdrawing herself from the upcoming Lok Sabha polls forcing the party to choose a new candidate for Warangal now. The sitting MP from BRS, Pasnuri Dayakar, has already joined the Congress while another aspirant Aruri Ramesh joined the BJP to be nominated from that party.
Weighing towards Congress
The surprise move by Dr. Kavya, obviously, has the backing of her father who in all likelihood may opt for the Congress party. Whether he would seek ticket for her daughter or give into the pressure of contesting himself is to be seen now.
A govt junior college lecturer who started political career with TDP
Mr. Srihari, who was a government junior college lecturer, started his political career with the Telugu Desham Party (TDP) and served in the cabinets of N.T. Rama Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu. He had good clout and commanded respect in the party working as Minister for Irrigation and also Education in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Kadiyam Srihari (on the left) along with Telugu Desam party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu at a public meeting in Ghanpur, Warangal in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh on May 26, 2008. File | Photo Credit: MURALI M
He represented the TDP when the Central Government invited the political parties to express their views on separate statehood for Telangana at the peak of the agitation. Within the TDP, he was a strong supporter of Statehood for Telangana.
However, before the formation of Telangana, he joined the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and was elected as an MP from Warangal in 2014. In the political developments after that, when his arch-rival Tatikonda Rajaiah was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister under some controversial circumstances, Mr. Srihari was made to resign as MP and appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Kadiyam Srihari (second from left) when he joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS, now BRS) in the presence of the party president K. Chandrashekar Rao in Hyderabad, in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh on May 15, 2013. File | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
He was elected to the Legislative Council and continued as the Deputy CM in the entire first term of the KCR government. He was recently elected as MLA from Station Ghanpur constituency.
