SIDDIPET: Former Forest Development Corporation chairman Vanteru Pratap Reddy on Saturday alleged that a set of covert operatives are active in the BRS and demanded their immediate expulsion from the party.
Pratap Reddy, who had aspired to contest on behalf of the party from the Medak Lok Sabha seat, expressed disappointment when the party leadership announced P Venkatram Reddy as its candidate.
Addressing the media on Saturday, he accused GE Reddy and V Yadava Reddy of being covert operatives and alleged that these two had influenced the BRS leadership’s decisions.
Pratap Reddy accused them of supporting and campaigning for the Congress during the 2023 Assembly elections while remaining in the BRS. He alleged that they sabotaged his chances of securing the party ticket for the Lok Sabha seat.
Claiming to have diligently served the party, Pratap Reddy asserted that BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao had promised him an opportunity to contest from Medak. “However, the covert operatives thwarted my ambitions by persuading the leadership against nominating me,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, speculations over Pratap Reddy shifting allegiance from the BRS grew, with unconfirmed reports saying that he met Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha and expressed his desire to join the Congress.
Efforts to stop Pratap Reddy from leaving BRS fold are reportedly underway, with party leaders attempting to dissuade him from switching allegiances. A senior BRS leader said that Pratap Reddy’s departure, particularly given his influence in Gajwel constituency, could pose problems for the party.