Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, Congress MP from Eluru, who is unhappy with the party high command for ignoring him at the time of the recent expansion of the central cabinet, has decided not to attend the winter session of Parliament which is beginning on Thursday.
Though chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy tried to assuage Rao’s ruffled feelings, the parliamentarian reportedly stood his ground, contending that though he was the most eligible MP to be taken into the cabinet but the party ignored him.
After holding a one-onone meeting with the chief minister for over an hour, Rao told waiting mediapersons here on Wednesday that there was no change in his decision not to attend the Parliament session.
He said he could not care less even if a whip was in force that all MPs should attend, indicating that he had already made up his mind on his future course of action.
“I am not attending the Parliament session beginning tomorrow.I know there is a whip that all Congress MPs should attend,” he said but denied that he would join the YSR Congress.
“Who has told you that I am joining the YSR congress,?” he asked. There was speculation that Rao might join Jagan’s party but it looks possible that might do it after the elections just the way Chandrababu Naidu had done after the formation of Telugu Desam by NTR Rama Rao in 1983.
What hurt Rao more was the move to promote Union minister of state D Purandeswari to the cabinet rank though she is much junior to him and in spite of the fact that she is the daughter of the late NTR.
After learning that Rao was upset, the party high command abandoned the proposal to promote her and changed her portfolio from human resource development to commerce and industry but it did not take Sambasiva Rao into the cabinet, sending a signal that there is not much room in the Congress for Kammas.