In a major setback to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) barely three weeks before the Assembly elections, its Lok Sabha member from Chevella Konda Vishveshwar Reddy quit the party on Tuesday by sending a three-page letter to party president K. Chandrasekhar Rao citing lack of recognition in the party for him and his followers.
The development comes less than a week after TPCC working president A. Revanth Reddy spilled beans that TRS was in for a major shock soon with two of its MPs along with a few MLCs are set to quit the party. When news persons raised the matter during an event in the erstwhile Ranga Reddy district, Mr. Vishveshwar Reddy said “it's not two but three” and retorted that Mr. Revanth Reddy was playing a mind game adding that such news was only speculation.
He even issued a denial statement after K.T. Rama Rao, considered number two in TRS set-up, met Mr. Reddy.
‘Neglected by party’
Mahabubabad MP A. Seetharam Naik, whose name also cropped up as the one likely to quit the party, also issued a statement stating that he was not quitting TRS. According to party insiders, Mr. Vishveshwar Reddy had a grouse that he was being neglected by the party leadership by giving undue importance to another leader of Ranga Reddy district P. Mahender Reddy, a minister in KCR’s Cabinet.
He was also hurt as he was unable to get proper recognition to his supporters in the party.
‘Injustice to TS activists’
In the three-page resignation letter sent to the TRS president, Mr. Reddy cited five reasons for his decision to quit the party – “personal, injustice to activists who worked for Telangana statehood, constituency, State and party level issues”.
Stating that party had been distancing itself from people, particularly for the last two years with the government becoming inaccessible to people, he said he was forced to leave the party despite TRS enjoying significant goodwill among social circles.
He also pointed out that the party had inducted those who were against Telangana and TRS ideology and made them ministers.
“I feel people who were fighting for Telangana and share a common ideology including me are no longer needed in the party,” he said in the letter adding that he would also resign from his Lok Sabha membership.
Published - November 21, 2018 08:05 am IST