Komatireddy meets Manikrao Thakre; launches veiled attack on party rivals

HYDERABAD: Disgruntled senior Congress leader and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy met Manikrao Thakre, the newly appointed AICC incharge of party’s Telangana affairs at the MLA Quarters on Thursday. The meeting took place as part of the reachout initiative by Thakre, who has been holding a series of meetings and deliberations with the Telangana Congress leaders since his arrival in Hyderabad on Wednesday. 

Contrary to the tradition, the two leaders met in Hyderguda MLA Quarters as Komatireddy refused to go to Gandhi Bhavan, the TPCC headquarters. 

Speaking to the media after their meeting, Venkat Reddy claimed that the show-cause notice served on him by the Congress disciplinary action committee had been consigned to the dustbin. They were issued to him before the Munugode Assembly by-election because of a leaked voice recording in which he was purportedly asking people to support the BJP and his brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy. 

The Bhongir MP also said that he did not care about the TPCC committees, in a veiled retort to the omission of his name from all of them. In yet another cryptic comment, he asked as to why he should sit with those who lost elections four-five times. Venkat Reddy also said that Telangana Congress President Revanth Reddy and AICC turned a blind eye to the incident where photos of Congress leaders were morphed. 

When asked why he did not meet Manikrao Thakre at Gandhi Bhavan, he evaded a direct reply, saying that he was busy with his tours in various constituencies. He also asked why other leaders like Seethakka, Veeraiah and Jaggareddy did not meet Thakeray yet.