Marri quits Cong, to join BJP soon

PNS|Hyderabad

Former Minister Marri Shashidhar Reddy has resigned from the Congress. He said that he will join the BJP soon in New Delhi. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Shashidhar said that TPCC President Revanth Reddy is a cheater as well as a blackmailer and that he is good only for blackmail politics.

He said that Revanth did hungama regarding Kokapet lands, but did not open his mouth later. Revanth’s statements and actions are harming the party. “Only then I realised the truth about Revanth,” Shashidhar said alleging that Revanth has been taking money regarding this as instalments. The Congress has lost its moral authority to speak out against KCR’s corruption, Dharani Portal and others, he said.

Manickam Tagore and KC Venugopal have been betraying the party by not reporting Revanth’s conduct to the high command. Both stood by TPCC official spokesperson Addanki Dayakar when he criticised Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. Shashidhar said that having Manickam Tagore as in-charge is unfortunate. They have adopted a ‘sell out…sold out…compromise’ policy.

Recalling the statement of Komatireddy Venkat that Revanth got the TPCC President post after giving Rs 25 crore, Shashidhar said that he did not see it but knows it clearly as per the ‘Pug Mark’ theory.

He alleged that the in-charges have been considering the PCC president post as a ‘Golden Duck’. The in-charge system is very dangerous to the Congress. Money has become an important item from the state party affairs in-charge to the AICC General Secretary (Organisation), KC Venugopal, he said.

Shashidhar said that the state party in-charge General Secretaries are working like ‘PCC agents.’ He said the Congress lost all elections when N. Uttam Kumar Reddy was PCC president, however, the high command continued him for a record six years without initiating any action.

Uttam confused the party by resigning after the defeat of his wife Padmavathi Reddy in the Huzur Nagar by-poll and continuing as the PCC president after that. Moreover, Uttam made the then in-charge RC Khuntia to send 17 names to the high command as hopefuls for the TPCC president position.

He said that Uttam did this only to create confusion in the party’s high command. “Senior leader P. Chidambaram raised a doubt with Uttam Kumar Reddy asking him why he had resigned if he wanted to continue as PCC chief,” he said.

The party in-charges are supposed to work as representatives of the high command by coordinating everybody. The in-charges have to correct mistakes and shortcomings if any, however, in-charges have been working as agents of PCC presidents. The words of only the leaders who give money will work in the party, he said. The money culture started when Digvijay Singh was in-charge of TS party affairs, he said.

He said the Congress’ condition has been deteriorating by the day not only in the state but across the country and hence he took this decision with a lot of pain. He made it clear that he decided to resign for the sake of Telangana.

He alleged that the Congress has entered into a match-fixing deal with the TRS and people are thinking about it. He said that he never expected this situation in the Congress. The Congress failed in playing the opposition’s role, he said.

“I am happy that I am quitting the Congress as a home guard. I am no more a Congress home guard. I am always proud to be my father’s son. My father gave life to the Congress twice. I will not retire from politics. Telangana is my bounden duty. I will not continue with compromise politics. However, I will be indebted to Sonia as she gave Telangana and posts to me,” he said.