HYDERABAD: TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud on Thursday announced that several BRS MLAs were ready to join the Congress and were waiting for an auspicious time to make the switch.
Addressing the media at Gandhi Bhavan after welcoming former Adilabad BJP MP Soyam Bapu Rao and former BRS MLA from Asifabad Atram Sakku into the Congress fold, he said that discussions with the BRS MLAs have concluded and they will soon join the party.
“Though Congress opposes defections, this situation is different from former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao engineering defections from the Congress. These moves are driven by the arrogance of BRS leaders, who claimed that the Congress government would collapse,” the TPCC chief said.
He stated that these BRS MLAs are against such statements made by the pink party leaders and hence are joining the Congress, which is committed to the state’s development.
Reacting to BRS MLAs T Harish Rao and Padi Kaushik Reddy’s arrest, Goud criticised Kaushik’s alleged obstruction of police duties and use of abusive language as unethical and said that the government will not tolerate such.
Commenting on Harish Rao’s allegations against Congress, Goud accused the BRS of resorting to similar tactics in the past. He urged former KCR to rein in his party leaders or face serious consequences.
Meanwhile, Soyam Bapu Rao stated that he joined the grand old party after seeing their work for the state. “Revanth Reddy is my favourite leader. He is addressing long-standing issues neglected over the past decade,” the MLA said.
Atram Sakku emphasised Congress’s commitment to protecting tribal communities.