Sravanthi cited the Congress' transformation into a commercial entity due to the influence of "one person" as the reason for her departure.
Published Nov 12, 2023 | 2:10 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 12, 2023 | 2:15 PM
Congress leader Palvai Sravanthi, who contested the Munugode by-election in 2022 on Congress ticket joined BRS party on Sunday, 12 November. (Supplied)
Palvai Sravanthi, who contested the Munugode by-election in Telangana in 2022 on a Congress ticket, joined the BRS on Sunday, 12 November, in the presence of the regional party’s working president and state minister KT Rama Rao.
Sravanthi had resigned from the Congress on Saturday. “The decision to leave the Congress was well thought out. I left the Congress as per my father’s words, that I should not stay for a minute without respect,” she said.
“The present Congress is not the Congress we knew. Our party workers joined the BRS with the idea that sometimes there is a need for a positive change in life. The decision was taken to walk with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Bharat Rashtra Samithi brother KTR,” said Sravanthi after joining the BRS.
In 2022, Munugode’s sitting Congress MLA Rajagopal Reddy resigned from the House and the party and joined the BJP, which necessitated a by-election in the constituency.
Palvai Sravanthi, the daughter of veteran Congress leader Palvai Govardhan Reddy, was selected as the Congress candidate. She came third and lost her deposit.
Recently, when Rajagopal Reddy resigned from the BJP and returned to the Congress, he was given the ticket even though Sravanthi was in the race.
“Despite facing challenges, Palvai Govardhan Reddy’s family remained loyal to the Congress. The Congress, however, has been criticised for mistreating such a committed family. While others hesitated to contest in the previous by-elections, Sravanthi took a bold step, securing an honourable position for the Congress,” the BRS said in a statement.
మునుగోడు కాంగ్రెస్ సీనియర్ నేత పాల్వాయి స్రవంతి రెడ్డి బీఆర్ఎస్ పార్టీలో చేరారు.
తెలంగాణ భవన్ లో బీఆర్ఎస్ వర్కింగ్ ప్రెసిడెంట్, మంత్రి @KTRBRS గారి సమక్షంలో బీఆర్ఎస్ పార్టీలో చేరారు. ఈ సందర్భంగా మంత్రి కేటీఆర్ గులాబీ కండువా కప్పి పార్టీలోకి ఆహ్వానించారు.#VoteForCar… pic.twitter.com/kVmEWT3ryn
— BRS Party (@BRSparty) November 12, 2023
In her resignation letter, Sravanthi cited what she said was the Congress’ transformation into a commercial entity due to the influence of “one person” as the reason for her departure.
Sravanthi is the second leader from Munugode to part ways with the Congress. Earlier, Ch Krishna Reddy resigned from the party and joined the BJP.
In a detailed four-page letter addressed to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Sravanthi expressed her disappointment with the leadership’s “silence” and “inaction”, and asserted that these had become detrimental to the party in Telangana.
She lamented the lack of space and respect for old-timers and those who genuinely dedicated themselves to the party’s well-being.
Taking potshots at TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy and Munugode Congress nominee Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Sravanthi accused the former of undermining the party’s values since his induction.
She criticised the reinstatement of Rajagopal Reddy, who was responsible for the Munugode by-poll, and making him the candidate overnight for the upcoming Assembly election.
Sravanthi expressed her disappointment with the party’s deviation from its original ideals, and becoming a profit-oriented entity. She highlighted the erosion of the party’s spirit and its transformation into a commercial organisation.
She emphasised the legacy of her father, the late Palvai Govardhan Reddy, as a dedicated Congress leader, and contrasted it with the current state of the party.
She accused one person in charge of party affairs in Telangana of nullifying the selfless leadership and inspiring initiatives, turning the party into a ticket-selling enterprise.
She criticised the blatant sale of tickets and expressed concern over the party’s survival and existence in its current state.
After Sravanthi joined the BRS, KTR told reporters that no one knew why Rajagopal Reddy resigned from the MLA post.
“Because of him, the state faced a by-election and it made the administration chaotic. Palvai Govardhan Reddy’s family has stood by the Congress for years. Govardhan Reddy was a person who stood by the party without changing loyalties while showing his commitment towards the Congress. Such a family has been humiliated by the Congress,” KTR said.
He added that no one came forward to contest in the previous by-elections, but Sravanthi contested and secured an honourable position for the Congress.
“The Congress party gained prestige by using Govardhan Reddy’s family. People have seen the way Revanth Reddy cursed Rajagopal Reddy till yesterday,” he added.
