Congress senior leader and minister Nellakantapuram Raghuveera Reddy, who was given the PCC chief’s post in the residuary AP, said he would strive to bring back past glory to the party.
Speaking to reporters after his name was announced for the post, Raghuveera Reddy said the party is going through a rough phase in the 13 districts of AP after the bifurcation of the state. “I am given the responsibility to run the party at a critical time and I thank the party high command for giving me the opportunity. I will make all efforts to bring back the past glory,” he said.
The BC leader from Anantapur district, who won four times as MLA, said the Congress gave him various posts earlier for which he was grateful to the party.
On the bifurcation issue, Raghuveera Reddy said the Congress cannot be blamed. “All the parties have given their nod for state bifurcation and it is not the fault of the Congress alone,” he said. Raghuveera said some leaders are switching to other parties only to protect their properties.
Raghuveera Reddy, who hails from Golla community, was born on February 12, 1957 in Nellakantapuram village in the district. He studied till SSC in a school at the village and later completed his graduation in Anantapur. He studied LLB at Sri Krishnadevaraya University.
During his student days, he was associated with Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of BJP. Later, became BJP member in 1989. Later, he shifted to Congress and went on to become the Youth Congress district president and in the same year, he contested from Madakasira Assembly constituency on Congress ticket and won the election.
Though a first time MLA, he was inducted into the then Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Cabinet as animal husbandry minister. Raghuveera Reddy, however, lost the 1994 election, but wen on to win the three consecutive elections in 1999, 2004 and 2009. He was agriculture minister in YSR government and also served in Rosaiah and Kiran Reddy governments as revenue minister.