T'gana: Jolt to Congress as 2 leaders join TRS in run-up to Dubbak poll

HYDERABAD: On the day when the Election Commission issued notification inviting nominations for Dubbak by-poll, TRS gave a jolt to Congress by wooing two local leaders K Venkat Narasimha Reddy and B Manohar Rao into its fold.

While Narasimha Reddy was the front runner for Congress from Dubbak, Manohar Rao was a senior party leader who had served as the constituency in-charge in 2008. Both the leaders have joined TRS along with a large number of their followers.

The attack by TRS came in less than four days after Congress shocked the ruling party by announcing the name of Cheruku Srinivas Reddy as its candidate when the local leader shifted loyalties for the Dubbak by-polls. While the TRS, Congress and BJP, the three main political parties, are claiming that they are seeing cadre defecting in the run up to the elections, Srinivas, Narasimha Reddy and Manohar have been the biggest turncoats yet.

Welcoming Narasimha Reddy and Manohar, state finance minister T Harish Rao charged Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy of insulting women by casting doubts over Solipeta Sujatha’s abilities to continue the development works in the constituency.

“Top Congress leaders who are now in Dubbak will return to Hyderabad once the election is over. But TRS leaders Sujatha, Venkat Narasimha Reddy, Manohar Rao and myself will always be available for the people of Dubbak. Do you want to vote for people who will leave you after polls or those who would stay with you even after the by-election,” Harish Rao asked?

In a counter-attack, Congress MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy said that people know of the regard Uttam Reddy and Congress gives to the women. “The post of home minister was given to Sabitha Reddy. There were nearly half a dozen women ministers in the previous Congress government. The first term of TRS government did not have a single woman representative, while they were included in the second term only after pressure exerted by Congress and women’s organisation on chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao,” Jayaprakash Reddy said.