Two MLAs also joining TRS along with Sukhender Reddy

Apart from the Congress leaders, Gutta Sukhender Reddy, MP from Nalgonda, and G. Vinod and G. Vivek, two MLAs also are joining the ruling TRS in 2 days. The MLAs are from Miryalguda Bhaskar Rao and and from Devarakonda Ravindra Kumar (CPI). All the five are switching loyalties to the TRS in two days. Being auspicious day, they are joining the ruling party on June 15 after the TRS Supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao gives them the green signal, it is learnt. After a meeting at Vivek’s residence, Sukhender Reddy said at a joint media conference that he was pained at quitting the Congress. He hastened to thank AICC chief Sonia Gandhi for giving him ticket for the Lok Sabha twice. Citing internal squabbles within the Congress as the reason for their decision to quit, Sukhender Reddy said they have all decided to join the ruling party for the development of the State. Sukhender Reddy said he was ready to resign from the MP's post and join the TRS to support KCR for the completion of the projects, power plants and effectively implementing welfare programmes. He was one of the two Congress leaders who managed to win the Lok Sabha seats in 2014 despite the TRS wave. Vivek said that despite sensing defeat he had fought the general elections in vain. “From the TRS, we went back to the Congress on the promise of statehood and now for the State's development we are beating a retreat and joining the ruling party,” he said. “As there was no scope in the Congress which was caught in the web of skirmishes and with no future in the 2019 elections, we are quitting the party”, said Vivek, son of former Union minister the late G Venkatswamy fondly known as “Kaka”. “Sonia Gandhi gave statehood to Telangana with great heart and we are indebted to her,” he said. `Now that the State's development was paramount, taking a cue from KCR, we are joining the TRS,” Vivek added. Kaka’s another son and former minister, G. Vinod, said to complete the last wish of his father, they were joining the ruling party for the State’s development and welfare of all sections. Lone CPI legislator Ravindra Kumar said the ruling party gave Rs 300 crore for the development of his constituency Devarakonda in Nalgonda district. “Since the ruling party was implementing many welfare schemes, we are joining the TRS to support KCR’s development programmes”, he added. Meanwhile, some leaders have come out openly to criticize State Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy over his style of functioning, while some others have termed party's floor leader in Assembly K Jana Reddy as a 'covert' of the TRS.