WARANGAL: Senior BRS leader Kadiam Srihari on Saturday hit out at party president K. Chandrashekar Rao and working president K.T. Rama Rao, saying they had never allowed those who fought for statehood to grow. “KCR, and KTR kept many who fought for the statehood far away from them. They did nothing for those who took part in the movement,” he said.
Srihari, along with his daughter Dr Kadiam Kavya, who are set to join the Congress, met with their supporters at their residence in Hyderabad to gather their views on their plans.
Srihari said some BRS leaders who were silent when leaders including Pasunuri Dayakar and Aroori Ramesh left the party were now attacking him. “Why were they silent then and why are they speaking now? Why is the BRS afraid of my decision to join the Congress,” he asked.
Srihari said he did not approach the Congress but it was Congress leaders who sought him out and invited him to join the party.
“In my 10 years with the BRS, I did not indulge in any corrupt or illegal activities. Though several BRS leaders gathered a lot of wealth and money using the party, I did not do any real estate business or indulge in land-grabbing like them. All my life I worked for the people and now I will use this opportunity for development of my constituency Station Ghanpur,” he said.
Srihari explained to his supporters that the BRS was facing a lot of ups and downs and many leaders of the party were in a dilemma whether to continue in it or leave. “The party itself refused to give the MP ticket to Wardhannapet former MLA Aroori Ramesh and then allotted it to Kadiam Kavya. But there was no support from party leaders. They did not even take any initiative for conducting meetings with the party workers of their respective constituencies,” he said.
“My daughter is contesting for the first time and I thought it should not be the party which loses the elections, so I took the decision of quitting the party hoping that my well-wishers would understand me and accept my decision,” he said.
He also said that AICC and TPCC leaders who met with him and Dr Kavya, indicated that she would be the Congress candidate from Warangal.
