VISAKHAPATNAM: Former minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, who quit the TDP, peeved over ‘unfair’ treatment, joined the YSR Congress in the presence of party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy at Vechalam village in Chodavaram Assembly constituency on Sunday. He was welcomed into the YSRC fold by Jagan.
Ramanarayana Reddy’s entry is expected to give the YSRC a shot in the arm in Nellore district, where the former minister has considerable influence and followers. Speaking on the occasion, Ramanarayana Reddy said he was happy to join the party that is fighting for the special category status to the State. Hailing Jaganmohan Reddy’s struggle to get SCS to the State, he said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu failed to get justice to AP though he aligned with the BJP government at the Centre for four long years. The TDP chief who failed to get the AP Reorganisation Act implemented properly, was trying to deceive people by making false promises, he said.
The former Finance minister, who quit the Congress and joined the TDP on January 13, 2016, along with his brother Anam Vivekananda Reddy, was feeling disillusioned with the Telugu Desam leadership for quite sometime. After his brother Vivekananda Reddy’s death on April 25 this year, Ramanarayana Reddy had completely distanced himself from the TDP.
He is the second leader from Nellore to have joined the YSRC in recent times. Nedurumalli Ramkumar Reddy, son of former Chief Minister N Janardhan Reddy, joined the YSRC after quitting the BJP.