Ponnala to meet KCR on Sunday to discuss his political future: KTR

HYDERABAD: A day after former Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah resigned from the party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao met him at his residence on Saturday and personally invited him to join the BRS.

Lakshmaiah announced his resignation from the grand old party after serving for 40 years. He blamed the TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and senior leadership of ‘irregularities’ in the selection of candidates for the upcoming polls. He also alleged that the party was doing injustice to leaders of the Backward Classes (BC). According to reports, he resigned from the party mainly because he was denied a ticket from the Jangaon Assembly constituency.

Soon after meeting Lakshmaiah, KTR said that it was humiliating for any politician to be treated the way Lakshmaiah was by the Congress.

"The Congress party misbehaved with someone who has worked as an engineer in NASA and who held many posts from Telagana's son PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister. He is a tall BC leader. It is any party's prerogative if they want to give him an MLA ticket or not but for someone who has worked hard for 40 years for a party, it was insulting to for any politician to be treated that way."

Criticising Revanth Reddy's comment that Ponnala should be ashamed to quit the party when he is aged and death is knocking on his door, KTR said, "Saying such things is downright cheap. This is what will happen if a characterless person, who is an accused in vote-for-note case, is given the responsibility to head a party. His politics too will stoop to that level.

"We wish to honour an experienced politician and that's why I am here to personally invite Ponnala Lakshmaiah to join the BRS. He will meet K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Sunday to discuss his political future," KTR said.