D Srinivas says he has not joined Congress

In a letter written to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Srinivas said that he had not joined the party as has been widely reported in the media

Hyderabad: A day after it was reported in the media that former PCC chief D Srinivas rejoined the Congress, he denied the same and clarified that he had not joined the party and that he want to stay away from active politics following his failing health.

In a letter written to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday, Srinivas said that on Sunday, he had accompanied his son D Sanjay, who was joining the party, to Gandhi Bhavan and that he had not joined the party as has been widely reported in the media. “Though I will be a Congress loyalist forever, considering my age and health condition, I want to stay away from active politics,” he said.

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He further stated that it was not fair to say that Sanjay had joined the party on an assurance of being given a party ticket to contest the forthcoming Assembly polls. Everyone is aware of Congress party policies and procedure of approving tickets to candidates, he said. “I appeal not to drag me into any controversy. In case you consider that I have joined the Congress party, then treat this letter as my resignation from the party as well,” he wrote to Kharge.

 

In another statement, his wife D Vijayalaxmi appealed to the Congress leadership not to trouble her husband as his health condition was not good. “Please do not use him for your politics. Due to the pressure exerted by you, he suffered fits on Sunday night. I request you not to disturb my husband and let him live in peace.”

Meanwhile, Sanjay claimed the letter written by his father to Kharge was under pressure from his younger brother and Nizamabad BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind. He alleged that Arvind had blackmailed their parents and forced them to write letters. “My father joined the Congress voluntarily. He was very happy. He even wore the Congress khanduva. Truth will come out about the letters written by my parents if an inquiry is conducted,” he said.

Accusing Arvind of indulging in dirty politics, Sanjay wondered why Srinivas was still at home despite suffering fits last night. “I do not want to drag my mother into politics by questioning her letter,” he said. He appealed to Congress workers and DS loyalists not to believe the false letters issued in the media, he said.

Internal bickering

Meanwhile, as soon as news of Srinivas rejoining Congress came out, internal bickering started among Nizamabad party leaders, with district party in-charge Mahesh Goud expressing displeasure over the senior leader’s reinduction in the party.

Goud, who was expecting a party ticket from the Nizamabad Urban constituency, is not happy with the decision of the party leadership to allow Srinivas to rejoin the party. “I was assured a party ticket to contest the upcoming poll from the Nizamabad Urban constituency. I hope that the party leadership will keep its word,” he reportedly told his followers during a meeting on Monday. The reason for Goud’s outburst is that Srinivas’s son Sanjay, a former mayor of Nizamabad Municipal corporation, who joined Congress on Sunday, is planning to contest from Nizamabad Urban constituency, a stronghold of his father.