Suspended BRS leader Jupally Krishna Rao joins Congress in presence of Kharge

NEW DELHI: Former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislator Jupally Krishna Rao joined the Congress in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Chief A Revanth Reddy in New Delhi on Thursday.

Five-time MLA from Kodangal, Gurunath Reddy, son of BRS MLC Kuchukulla Damodar Reddy, Kuchukulla Rajesh Reddy, and several others from erstwhile Mahbubnagar and Nizamabad districts also joined the grand old party.

Jupally was supposed to join the party at a proposed public meeting of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in Kollapur of erstwhile Mahbubnagar district. But the meeting was deferred twice due to rains in the State, forcing him to opt for a low-key affair. While he was supposed to join the party on Wednesday it was postponed to Thursday due to the unavailability of senior party leaders.

Soon after the leaders joined the party, AICC Chief Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted, “We welcome several prominent leaders from Telangana in the Congress party. The political tide in Telangana is turning for the good and the people of the State want a Congress Govt at the helm for overall progress and prosperity. The entry of Former Minister, Jupally Krishna Rao, Former MLA, Gurunatha Reddy, K R Nagaraju and other grassroots leaders into the Congress party, shall further strengthen our endeavour to provide true social welfare in the State.”

Meanwhile, party sources in New Delhi said that Priyanka Gandhi’s public meeting in Telangana would take place after the monsoon session of Parliament. The BRS suspended former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Jupally Krishna Rao for engaging in anti-party activities in April.