VIJAYAWADA: Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, the last Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh formerly joined BJP in presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP national leaders Arun Singh and K Lakshman in New Delhi on Friday.
He had resigned from Congress last month and said he was disillusioned with the grand old party's inability to read the pulse of the people.
"Congress high command wants power but is not willing to work. It is not willing to listen to the party leaders in the state, analyze the situation, and course-correct. It has become a patient that does not want to heed the advice of the doctor (people). So I quit the party and joined BJP, which is committed to the welfare of the people and the country," he said on the occasion.
Former Andhra Pradesh CM #KiranKumarReddy joins BJP in the presence of Union Minister #PralhadJoshi and #ArunSingh at BJP HQ in New Delhi.
Express photos | @Shekharyadav02. pic.twitter.com/mq7WlZR3I6
The 63-year-old senior politician, hails from Nagaripalle, near Kalikiri, in the erstwhile Chittoor district.
His father N Amarnath Reddy was a former minister. Kiran Kumar Reddy who did his schooling at Hyderabad Public School graduated in Commerce from Nizam College and did his law from Osmania University.
After his father's demise in 1989, he contested elections from Vayalpadu and won the elections. After suffering defeat in 1994, he won again as MLA from the same constituency in 1999 and 2004 and in 2009 he become MLA from Pileru.
In 2004, he was made Chief Whip of the Congress government and later in 2009 became Speaker.
In 2011, he become the 16th Chief Minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh. Protesting the state bifurcation, he resigned to the post of Chief Minister and Congress party. Later, he floated his own Jai Samaikyandhra Party and contested the elections in 2014, but suffered defeat. In 2018, he dissolved his party and rejoined Congress.
Elaborating on why he quit Congress, Kiran Kumar Reddy said BJP, which won only two seats in 1980 with single digit vote share has formed the government in the centre with a huge majority in 2014 and the mandate has only increased in 2019.
On the other hand, Congress, which had 400 plus seats in 1980 today has less than 19 per cent vote share and refused to introspect on the reasons for its decline, he said.
"I will discharge my responsibilities, whatever they may be, entrusted to me by BJP central leadership," he said.