HYDERABAD/SANGAREDDY: Claiming to be a victim of a smear campaign, Congress MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy on Saturday wrote to the AICC leadership, informing that he would be parting ways with the party in the coming days.
In his letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi, Jagga Reddy said that he will quit as TPCC working president as well as the party’s primary membership. He said a formal letter in this regard will be sent shortly.
While Jagga Reddy has switched parties several times, shuttling between BJP, TRS and Congress during his two-decade long political career, his detractors refuse to believe that he would indeed part ways with the Grand Old Party and believe that Saturday’s letter was nothing but an attempt to assess his standing within the party.
Don’t speak to me through media: Sonia
Hyderabad: AICC president Sonia Gandhi has conveyed to the party there was no need to speak to her through the media, as per a screenshot of the formal communication between AICC leaders that was revealed by Congress Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore. “Maintain restraint while discussing party’s internal matters with the media,” Sonia Gandhi says.
Jagga Reddy’s maverick past casts doubts over his decision to resign
In Sangareddy constituency, which he represents in the Telangana Assembly, there is an ongoing debate among Congress workers whether Jagga Reddy will actually quit the party, and in the event of him doing so, would he join the TRS or form a political party of his own. This is despite the fact that Jagga Reddy himself saying on Saturday that he would not be joining any party but would be forming his own outfit.
The reasons for doubts about the MLA’s next course of action among Congress circles is simple -- Jagga Reddy is known to be a maverick, and sometimes hasty in taking decisions. In fact, even TRS leaders are not sure that Jagga Reddy would actually quit Congress.
P Buchireddy, a TRS leader and chairperson of the Sugarcane Development Committee, dismissed Jagga Reddy’s letter to the Congress high command as nothing but a “drama”. He asked TRS workers not to be discouraged since the TRS leadership would not take him into the party if he leave the Congress.
Buchireddy’s statement has come as a surprise to everyone. A political observer commented: “Why are TRS leaders responding to Jagga Reddy when there is not much reaction in Congress circles?” “Jagga Reddy has been doing this for some time. A senior Congress leader expressed hopes that the TPCC disuades Jagga Reddy.
Uttam, Sailajanath meet Jagga
Hyderabad: Sangareddy MLA T Jagga Reddy met former PCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy at the latter’s residence in Banjara Hills on Saturday, following an invite. Some other senior leaders including former Minister J Geetha Reddy, former MLA & AICC secretary, S A Sampath Kumar, Youth Congress State president, K Shivsena Reddy joined them. Later S Sailajanath, APCC chief called on Jagga Reddy at his residence.