In a major setback to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana, migration of its MLAs into ruling Congress party is continuing. Its MLA from Chevella Kale Yadaiah joined the ruling Congress on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister and PCC president A Revanth Reddy, AICC incharge of party affairs in Telangana Deepa Dasmunsi and other leaders in Delhi.
Yadaiah is the sixth BRS MLA to switch over to Congress since the latter assumed power after the Legislative Assembly elections last year. Yadaiah switching loyalties came close on the heels of Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar joining the Congress on June 23. Earlier, BRS MLAs Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Kadiam Srihari, Danam Nagender and Tellam Venkat Rao joined the grand old party. Danam Nagender claimed last week that as many as 20 BRS MLAs are ready to join Congress.
Taking exception to the BRS MLAs switching sides to Congress, BRS Working President and former minister KT Rama Rao said his party had seen similar defections in the past when the Congress was in power and that it had to eventually “bow down”.
“We have faced several defections of MLAs in the past in 2004-06 when Congress was in government. Telangana responded strongly by stepping up the people’s agitation & eventually Congress had to bow its head. History shall repeat itself,” Rama Rao said on ‘X’.
However, Revanth Reddy, speaking to the media in Delhi, attacked the BRS for encouraging defections when it was in power. He recalled how it encouraged migration of several Congress MLAs into BRS and some of them were even inducted into the cabinet.
BRS had won 39 of the total 119 Assembly seats in the elections held last year, while Congress came to power with 64 seats. However, BRS MLA from Secunderabad Cantonment G Lasya Nanditha died in a road accident earlier this year. Congress won the recently held bypoll for Secunderabad Cantonment segment. This led to an increase in its strength to 65.