HYDERABAD: For over two months, former Minister Jupally Krishna Rao’s big-bang entry into the Congress party has been hanging fire. After the public meeting to be addressed by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi to Kollapur in erstwhile Mahbubnagar was deferred twice, the former minister wanted to join the grand old party in Delhi in the presence of Congress senior leaders on Wednesday, but even that did not take place.
The Congress sources said that Krishna Rao’s jinxed move to the party would take place on Thursday as the senior leaders were not available on Wednesday to induct him into the party. What was expected to be a momentous occasion for him has petered out into a small occasion where the party senior leaders would welcome him into the party.
In anticipation of Priyanka Gandhi’s visit to Kollapur, Krishna Rao and several other leaders had been planning a major show of strength to build a public opinion that the Congress was on the ascendency and that the party was all set to capture power in the State in the ensuing Assembly elections later this year.
Now Krishna Rao wants to join the party first and later hold a mega public meeting in his Kollapur constituency by inviting top leaders of the party.
While former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy from Khanman joined the Congress on July 2 at a major public meeting in Khammam in the presence of senior leader Rahul Gandhi, the admission of Krishna Rao was scheduled to take place on July 14 or 15. The dates for his joining the party, July 14, 18, 30, and August 2, came and went, but the elusive meeting did not take place.
Speaking to the media, TPCC vice-president Mallu Ravi said that Krishna Rao’s joining was deferred from Wednesday to Thursday as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge was busy with the Parliament session, and with Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) appointment with President Droupadi Murmu. He said that Krishna Rao’s induction into the party will take place in the first hour on Thursday at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence.