As one more BRS MLA calls on Revanth Reddy, Telangana’s pink party seems on the edge

Vem Narender Reddy, the chief minister’s advisor on public affairs, who was present at that time, warmly welcomed Prakash Goud and even draped him in a shawl, fueling speculation that BRS MLA might change horses midstream.

Prakash Goud later dismissed as baseless the reports that he was contemplating a switch in loyalties. He said it was a courtesy call and one should not read between the lines.

He said he had called on Revanth Reddy because he had known him since the days they both worked in the TDP. Goud was TDP MLA twice, in 2009 and 2014.

Also Read: BRS MLAs from Medak say no plan to switch sides

‘No need to join Congress’

Prakash Goud also said that he had brought to the chief minister’s notice the problems his constituency was facing, including drainage, roads, and street lights.

He said there was no need for him to join the Congress as the BRS was looking after him well, and maintained that there was nothing wrong in meeting the chief minister. He even said that he would meet him any number of times in the interest of his constituency.

Though BRS leaders made no comment on Prakash Goud calling on the chief minister, they seem to be on the edge as it happened close on the heels of BRS leader and former MLA Teegala Krishna Reddy having a one-on-one with Revanth Reddy on Saturday.

Teegala Krishna Reddy has a flaming row with BRS MLA and former minister P Sabita Indra Reddy who represents Maheshwaram in the Assembly.

As there is no future for him in the BRS since the party is not in power now, Krishna Reddy met the chief minister and reportedly expressed his willingness to join the Congress.

Krishna Reddy joined the BRS in 2014 after the formation of Telangana state, leaving the TDP.

4 MLAs meet CM

Very recently, four BRS MLAs from Medak district — V Sunitah Laxmareddy (Narsapur), Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru), Kotha Prabhakar Reddy (Dubbaka), and Koninti Manik Rao (Zaheerabad) met Revanth Reddy and posed for pictures with him.

They later dismissed the speculation that they were contemplating joining the Congress and gave a laboured explanation of how the BRS took care of them and how they would not spare the Congress if it failed in delivering on its promises.

As optics play an important role in perception politics, the appearance of their pictures and videos on electronic, digital, and print media might unnerve the BRS at a time when it is trying to retrieve lost ground from the Congress and prepare itself for the Lok Sabha elections, expected in a couple of months.

The priority for the BRS is to protect its cadres and leaders in the face of possible onslaughts by the Congress since it has a wafer-thin majority with only 64 seats — and one seat held by its ally CPI — in a House of 119 members.