HYDERABAD: The BRS took an aggressive stance against anti-party activities by leaders months before the December 2023 state Assembly elections, suspending former Khammam Lok Sabha MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao with immediate effect on the orders of party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Going forward, the BRS leadership has decided to act tough against leaders who engage in indiscipline and dissident activities, regardless of how big and senior they are, at a time when the Assembly elections are only around the horizon.
By suspending Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao from the party, Chandrashekar Rao sent a loud and clear message to those who have been raising a banner of revolt against the party leadership for the past four years that the party leadership will no longer tolerate anti-party activities, sources said.
Disciplinary action against the two had long been expected because both had long been vocal in their opposition to the party leadership, and attempts by the BRS leadership to pacify them had failed. Both the leaders are upset at the leadership of the party, and they have not been participating in the party activities for a long time.
The suspension came a day after Krishna Rao joined Srinivas Reddy in raising the rebel banner against the leadership. Srinivas Reddy held an Atmeeya Sammelanam with his followers in Kothagudem on Sunday, which was joined by Krishna Rao, both of whom levelled serious allegations of corruption and misappropriation of public funds against the CM and the BRS government.
Both leaders exhorted the people to depose the BRS government since it has failed miserably to fulfil the promises made to the people over the last nine years.
The CM has constituted a 10-member committee led by former speaker and MLC S. Madhusudhana Chary to submit reports to the party leadership on the dissident and rebel activity by taking part in Athmeeya Sammelanams being held in all Assembly constituencies with an aim to unite the party leaders and workers to prepare for the Assembly polls.
These sammelanams, which started in the third week of March, will be held until May-end.
The party leadership believes that these events have helped in identifying infighting among the leaders, leaders who are staying away from party activities, and those who plan to quit the party and join other parties. The party leadership is obtaining regular feedback from these sammelanams based on which it is planning to initiate action against trouble mongers, who are bringing disrepute to the party and damaging the image of the party when Assembly polls are nearing.
Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao levelling serious allegations of corruption and misappropriation of public funds against the CM and the BRS government, did not sit well with the party leadership, which eventually had to crack the whip against the two party leaders for their anti-party remarks.
Srinivas Reddy was elected to the Khammam Lok Sabha seat on a YSRC ticket in 2014 and joined the BRS in 2017. He was denied a BRS ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Krishna Rao lost the 2018 Assembly elections on a BRS ticket from Kollapur in Mahbubnagar district. Congress candidate B. Harshavardhan Reddy, who defeated him, subsequently joined the BRS. Since then, both Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao have been upset at the BRS leadership for ignoring them and are constantly raising their voices of dissent.
Speaking to the media following their suspension, both leaders expressed their delight at their expulsion from the party. Both the leaders said they now "feel like a bird out of a cage after a long time" and were freed from the fortress of a feudal lord.
"One minister claims I am not a member of the BRS. Another minister says there will be no suspensions in the party and that whoever has guts should quit from the party on their own. If I am not a member of the party, how can they suspend me,” Srinivas Reddy asked.
Further, Srinivas Reddy stated that he joined BRS (then TRS) after top leaders, including ministers K.T. Rama Rao and G. Jagadish Reddy, made several rounds to his residence inviting him to join the party, and that "none of the promises that KCR made to me and my followers before joining BRS were fulfilled.”
“Even the promises made to people during the elections were not kept. The CM is suppressing the voices of leaders who question him on these issues," Srinivas Reddy said.
Krishna Rao claimed that the CM paid Kollapur Congress MLA B. Harshavardhan Reddy Rs. 26.30 crore in return for joining the BRS in 2019.
"Harshavardhan's father was a contractor who constructed a bridge in Wanaparthy 20 years ago. At the time, the government owed him Rs. 5 lakh in arrears. He approached the court to get his outstanding bills. After 20 years, the KCR government gave an undertaking to the court that they want to settle the dispute amicably and withdrew the petition. He paid Rs. 26.30 crore to Harshavardhan Reddy towards these arrears in return for joining BRS," Krishna Rao alleged.
Not only have Srinivas Reddy and Krishna Rao raised the rebel flag against the BRS leadership ahead of the Assembly elections; the party has been confronted with serious infighting in several districts, with leaders openly fighting, making public statements against each other, and attacking each other on social media platforms, causing huge embarrassment to party leadership. Despite repeated warnings from the party leadership, some party leaders have failed to mend their ways, said sources.
BRS driven by divisions
Tandur: Battle between MLA ‘Pilot’ Rohith Reddy, a Congress import involved in the poachgate case, and MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy.
Warangal: There is infighting between minister Satyavathi Rathod, MLA T. Rajaiah, MLC Kadiyam Srihari, MLA Banoth Shankar Naik and MP Maloth Kavitha.
Medchal-Malkajgiri: MLAs unwilling to hold the sammelanams with minister Ch Malla Reddy because of their ongoing tussle. Four MLAs in the district have publicly defied Malla Reddy, accused him of discriminating against them in sanctioning development funds.
Karimnagar: MLAs up in arms against minister Gangula Kamalakar.
Hyderabad: MLAs who are backing ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Mohd Mahmood Ali and Deputy Speaker T. Padma Rao Goud are engaged in group politics.
Nalgonda: MLAs divided between minister G. Jagadish Reddy and MLC Koti Reddy.
Nizamabad: Cold war between minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy and MLAs over the sharing of nominated posts for their loyalists.
Khammam: Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar facing opposition from MLAs over nominated posts.
Ranga Reddy: Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, a defector from the Congress, is facing opposition from BRS MLAs. Teegala Krishna Reddy is opposing party's ticket to Sabitha.
