Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao on Saturday, October 14, made a visit to disgruntled Congress veteran leader Ponnala Lakshmaiah’s residence and personally invited him to join the BRS.
The development follows the former pradesh congress committee chief’s resignation to the grand old party just less than two months before the state polls.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, KTR said as per the instructions of the party president KCR, he met Lakshmaiah who had quit the Congress on Friday and invited him to join the BRS. “We invited him (Lakshmaiah) to meet CM KCR tomorrow and join the party in Jangoan public meeting to be held on October 16. He agreed to meet the CM,” Rama Rao told reporters.
He further said that if Lakshmaiah joins the BRS, he will be well respected.
Lakshmaiah on Friday, October 13, announced his resignation from the grand old party blaming TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy and senior leadership of ‘irregularities’ in the candidates’ selection process. He also alleged that the party is meting injustice to leaders of the Backward Classes (BC).
Ponnala Lakshmaiah served in the Congress party for 40 years and held many important roles including being the first Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief. He served as a four-time MLA from the Jangaon Assembly.
According to reports, he resigned from the party mainly because he was denied a ticket from the Jangaon Assembly constituency.
Lakshmaiah lauds BRS
In his resignation letter addressed to AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lakshmaiah lauded the BRS for recognising “even small BC laborers and grants them MP, MLC, and corporation positions, adding that “while our own PCC president, campaign committee chairman, former MPs, and working presidents are unable to secure an audience with the top leadership to discuss the concerns of Telangana’s Congress BC leaders.”
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that the Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled to be held on November 30.
