Two legislators, one MP join ruling TRS in Telangana

Hyderabad: Nalgonda Congress MP Gutta Sukender Reddy, Miryalguda Congress MLA N Bhaskar Rao and lone CPI Devarkonda (ST) MLA Ravindra Kumar Ramavath on Wednesday joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) party here.

Former Congress Peddapally MP G Vivekanand, his brother and former Congress minister G Vinod (both sons of G Venkataswamy) also joined the party along with his followers in the presence of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the party's headquarters here.

"These leaders are joining the party as they are very much impressed with the developmental work that the government has undertaken. This should not be seen in political light. Besides, Congress and TDP do not have moral right to raise the issue of defections.

"Congress, when YS Rajasekhar Reddy was the Chief Minister poached some of our (TRS) MLAs. These leaders who talk about moral did not raise their voice then," Rao said after formally inviting the leaders into the party by honouring them with a 'pink scarf'.

The Chief Minister also alleged that Congress and TDP had conspired to bring President's rule in the state soon after the election despite the fact that TRS party emerged as a clear winner in the polls.

Sukhender Reddy had earlier said he took the decision of joining TRS to extend full cooperation to the party and the government in the interest of irrigation projects and the development of his district, Nalgonda.

Congress won only two Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2014 elections. The other Congress MP is Nandi Yellaiah from Nagarkurnool constituency.

Vivek had joined the TRS ahead of the formation of separate Telangana but went back to Congress after the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Bill was passed in Parliament in 2014. He contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket, but lost.