Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Rajya Sabha member D. Srinivas’s re-entry into his parent party - the Congress, will be only in the first week of February.
Mr. Srinivas, it is understood, received communication to this effect from the high command in New Delhi. It was reported that Mr. Srinivas would join the party in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. However, it was deferred due to the third wave of COVID and some office-bearers of the AICC also testing positive for Coronavirus, according to sources.
Mr. Srinivas may join the party during Parliament sessions that would commence next month.
Mr. Srinivas was the APCC chief when the Congress party rode to power in 2004 led by the CLP leader Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy after the latter’s largely successful padayatra across the united AP. The veteran Congress leader at that point even hinted that he was also in the race for the Chief Minister’s post. Ultimately, the high command chose Dr. Reddy and Mr. Srinivas had to contend with a Minister’s post. He lost the 2009 and 2014 elections and in 2015 switched sides and joined the Telangana Rashtra Samiti..
TRS chief and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao nominated Mr. Srinivas to the Rajya Sabha and the bonhomie between the two leaders was short-lived so much so that the latter was not invited to any party meetings. Since then, it was stated Mr. Srinivas had been lying low and as his term comes to end sometime this year decided to take a call on return to his parent party.
“So far we have no information from the high command about the joining of Mr. Srinivas in the party except some reports in the media. Strictly speaking, some Congress leaders from Nizamabad district are objecting to his re-entry into the party stating that he had back-stabbed the party when it was in trouble and wondered whether his admission strengthens the party. Mr. Srinivas has been looking at the party as he has no option but may not be of any use to the party,” said a source in the Congress party.
When contacted Mr. Srinivas said: I was asked to join the Congress during the Parliament sessions that would commence in the first week of next month. I had received communication to this effect from AICC.”
