Within hours of manifesto promising anti-defection law, Congress poaches MLA

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy took the initiative of convincing Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkat Rao to quit the BRS and join the Congress.

Hyderabad: Barely hours after the Congress party released its manifesto proposing to amend the 10th schedule to ensure automatic disqualification of MLAs or MPs who switched loyalties, the Telangana Congress showed that it had an agenda different from that of the party high command and the manifesto.

On Sunday, none other than Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy took the initiative of convincing Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkat Rao to quit the BRS and join the Congress, with a red carpet welcome being extended to him in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at his residence.

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Though the MLA along with his family members had met the Chief Minister at his residence last month, he had said that the meeting was about seeking funds for executing development works in the constituency.

The Bhadrachalam MLA had also skipped the BRS party’s Khammam and Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituencies meetings chaired by BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao.

On Saturday, Venkat Rao participated in the Congress public meeting at Tukkuguda, and interestingly, after hours after Rahul Gandhi spoke of the Congress bringing in anti-defection laws, defected to the Congress.

The Congress, which has spoke against defection, has already lured Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari, with Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy openly stating that 20 to 25 BRS MLAs were keen to join the Congress party, indicating that no matter what the party high command said, the Telangana Congress was planning to encourage defections.

Responding to this, BRS working president KT Rama Rao called out the hypocrisy of the Congress, criticising that while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gave an eloquent speech about party defections and amendments to 10th Schedule for their automatic disqualification, his party leaders, including the Chief Minister and Ministers, were shamelessly poaching BRS MLAs.

“When you don’t mean it, Why this Nautanki & Drama Rahul Ji?,” asked Rama Rao, after Revanth Reddy and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy welcomed Venkat Rao into their party. Taking to the social media, the BRS working president criticised the double standards of the Congress. He pointed out that in its Lok Sabha election manifesto, the Congress promised to amend 10th schedule of the Constitution for automatic disqualification of MLAs and MPs who defect from their original party. However, in Telangana, the Congress gave an MP ticket to a sitting BRS MLA and welcomed another sitting BRS MLA into the party.

“There is a huge difference between what the Congress promises and its actions after winning elections. If it has no morals and values, what is the difference between the Congress and the BJP?” he wondered.