TRS corporator P Vijaya Reddy, daughter of former five-time MLA late P Janardhan Reddy, has gone against the tide, switching her loyalties from the TRS to the beleaguered Congress. In an exclusive interview, Vijaya Reddy tells TNIE that she felt “betrayed like many others” and was therefore “forced to leave the TRS”.
What would you describe as your contribution to the TRS?
I started my political career with YSR Congress Party. After the formation of Telangana, the YSRCP here was weakened. At the same time, there was a dearth of leaders for the TRS in Greater Hyderabad region, with a few exceptions. In 2015, I joined the TRS and went about strengthening the party at thebooth level in Khairatabad Assembly constituency. The TRS leadership asked MLA aspirants to contest in the GHMC elections too. I contested twice, driving the party to victory.
How were you betrayed by TRS?
When I joined the TRS, I categorically told the TRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that I wanted to work in Khairatabad constituency, which was a citadel of my father. In the subsequent elections, despite assuring me the party’s candidature in first list, second list, finally they informed me that they have to accommodate Danam Nagender. The Chief Minister then promised me a “good future”. He (CM) even promised to make me the first woman MLC in Telangana. In 2021, I was not interested in contesting in the GHMC election, but the party encouraged me to contest as the Mayoral post was reserved for women. Now, they tried to limit me to a divisional level, when people from other divisions approached me on issues, Nagender and his henchmen were restricting me.
There is talk of miscommunication in the TRS. What’s your observation?
There is a huge communication gap between Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and party leaders at all levels. The Chief Minister literally meets no one, unlike other CMs in the past.I met him only when I joined the party, and at one or two other public events. There is no confidence in the TRS leadership as
they never meet the leaders.