HYDERABAD/ NALGONDA: TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy inviting former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy into the Congress fold appears to have ruffled some feathers within the party.
Rumours of trouble brewing within the Congress leaders in Khammam became strident after former Union minister Renuka Chowdhury met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Thursday. Interestingly, Ponguleti and Renuka are both tall leaders from Khammam, and the negotiations with regard to tickets for their loyalists seem to have reached Delhi.
Though Renuka made it clear that she was welcoming Ponguleti into the Congress fold, sources informed TNIE that she was still lobbying for three tickets for her loyalists in the 10 assembly segments of the erstwhile Khammam district. After meeting and discussing the prospects of him joining Congress, Ponguleti met CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka during the latter’s People’s March padayatra in Kethepally village of Nakrekal constituency on Thursday.
Ponguleti told the media that his visit was merely a courtesy call to Vikramarka who has been ill. He specifically denied any negotiations for seats for his loyalists. He asserted that the Congress was the only party capable of fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Telangana. Vikramarka expressed regret for being unable to meet Ponguleti in Hyderabad.
Adding to the political buzz, Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy declared that Ponguleti’s joining would be celebrated in a grand public meeting in Khammam, while former minister Jupally Krishna Rao’s entry into the party would be marked with a public gathering in Mahbubnagar.