Telangana: Senior Congress leader Palvai Sravanthi joins BRS

HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader and AICC member Palvai Sravanthi joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the presence of party working president KT Rama Rao (KTR). She quit the Congress on Saturday with a strongly-worded letter to the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi.

KTR welcomed Sravanthi with a BRS scarf at an event held at Telangana Bhavan here on Sunday. “It is a great sign to welcome Sravanthi as a brother into the BRS party on Deepavali,” KTR said. The Congress had failed to recognise the services of Palvai Govardhan Reddy’s family, which stood by the party for almost six decades, he added.

“Why did Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy join the BJP from the Congress? After a defeat in the by-elections in Munugode, why did he change his loyalties and return to the Congress,” KTR said and added that the State faced a by-election because of Rajgopal Reddy and made the administration chaotic.

The BRS working president said that no one came forward to contest in the by-elections in Munugode, but Sravanthi contested on behalf of the Congress and secured decent votes for the party. “Sravanthi faced several problems in the constituency because of Rajgopal Reddy's behaviour. The BRS will make good use of her services and give her due recognition,” he said.

Taking a jibe at TPCC president A Revanth Reddy and Rajgopal Reddy, he said that the duo on several occasions exchanged verbal duels and pretended as rivals to deceive the people. “It is high time for the people of Munugode to teach a befitting lesson to Rajagopal Reddy and vote for the BRS party in the upcoming elections after going through development in Munugode and Nalgonda district during the BRS rule,” KTR said.

KTR said that after the BRS Government came to power, a decades-old fluoride problem was addressed and a pylon was unveiled under Mission Bhagiratha in Munugode constituency. The Union Government itself declared that the fluorosis problem was completely addressed in Telangana during the BRS rule, he said.

The BRS working president said that three Government medical colleges were established by the KCR Government in Nalgonda earlier, which did not have a single medical college. Similar is the case with the renovation of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri which is now drawing huge devotee footfalls, he added.

Palvai Sravanthi said that the decision to quit the Congress was well thought through after deliberations with the cadre. “The Congress party is not the same which our family knows. There is no respect for the leaders who strived hard for the party's future. I decided to continue my political journey with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) and my brother KTR,” Sravanthi said.