Bhadrachalam MLA Venkat Rao is not a Congress leader, says ex-MLA Veeraiah

Veeraiah, the district Congress president, said Venkat Rao is not a true Congress leader and is not bothered to work along with the old timers and senior leaders.

Kothagudem: The feud between sitting MLA Dr. Tellam Venkat Rao and former MLA Podem Veeraiah in Bhadrachalam assembly constituency seems unending given the latter’s latest attack on the MLA.

Bringing the internal differences among them to the fore more vividly, Veeraiah stated that it is the misfortune of Congress workers that MLA Venkat Rao joined Congress after being elected from another party.

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It might be noted that Venkat Rao, who was elected as Bhadrachalam MLA on a BRS ticket in the last election joined Congress at the behest of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. Veeraiah and his followers were at odds with the MLA since he joined Congress.

Speaking at a party workers’ meeting at Dummugudem on Thursday, he accused the MLA of neglecting senior Congress leaders. “It is our ill-fate that we are all forced to undergo trouble and are neglected in our own party” he said.

Veeraiah, the district Congress president, said Venkat Rao is not a true Congress leader and is not bothered to work along with the old timers and senior leaders. He maintained that he never left the Congress and its ideology; always worked for the party and its workers.

The former MLA said that he lost the election due to some mistakes the party leaders and cadres committed during the elections. He accused Venkat Rao of giving priority to his followers in sanctioning Indiramma houses while ignoring the Congress cadres.

Veeraiah said that the MLA should have consulted senior leaders like him before finalising Indiramma houses beneficiaries’ list. “The constituency is no one’s property, everyone should get equal share in welfare schemes” he noted.

He reportedly planned to take the matter to the notice of the party high command. It is said that the Congress party has been divided into two factions, one supporting the MLA and the other with Veeraiah, in every village in Bhadrachalam assembly constituency.