Ever since Congress came to power, it has thrown a wide net to catch the BRS MLAs to ensure stability to the government.
Published Jul 12, 2024 | 10:51 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 13, 2024 | 1:13 PM
BRS MLA Prakash Goud joins Congress (X)
The ruling Congress in Telangana has landed yet another BRS MLA. T Prakash Goud, legislator from Rajendranagar, who was one of the leaders who showed early symptoms of Congress fever by meeting Revanth Reddy immediately after he became the chief minister, jumped ships finally on Friday, 12 July.
The chief minister admitted him into the party by draping the turncoat MLA with the Congress’ tri-colour shawl at his residence in Hyderabad. Prakash Goud was brought to the chief minister’s residence by Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy, and Khairtabad DCC president Rohin Reddy.
Rajendranagar @BRSparty MLA Prakash Goud joins @INCIndia party in the presence of Chief Minister @revanth_anumula at his residence in Jubilee Hills in #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/T6VThOGS0l
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) July 12, 2024
Prakash Goud is the eighth BRS MLA to switch loyalty in as many months. The Congress has been luring BRS MLAs to increase its strength in the Assembly. The party won 64 seats in the 119-member house in the November 2023 Assembly elections and its number rose to 65 after it won Secunderabad Cantonment by-election, held along with Lok Sabha polls. Now the number of the Congress MLAs has touched 73.
Prakash Goud said that he had decided on his own to join the Congress. “I took the blessings of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala in the morning. There is no pressure on me to join the party. I decided on my own accord,” he said and asserted that he was joining the Congress to serve his constituents better.
Meanwhile, Congress sources have hinted that, in about two to three days, four more BRS MLAs will be joining the grand old party.
Ever since the Congress came to power, it has thrown a wide net to catch the BRS MLAs to ensure stability to the government, the way K Chandrashekar Rao did when after he came to power in 2014 with just 63 MLAs, despite riding the popularity wave of forcing the Centre to deliver a separate Telangana state.
It all started with innocuous meetings between BRS MLAs and the CM for funds for their respective constituencies, but the underlying message was not lost on the BRS leadership, which had done everything humanly possible to keep its flock together but could not under the relentless onslaught by Revanth Reddy.
The seven MLAs who have already discarded their pink robes and joined the Congress are: Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella), Dr Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial), Kadiam Srihari (Station Ghanpur), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam) and Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal).
The Congress leaders have been saying openly that they are landing the BRS MLAs and that when their number reaches 26, which is two thirds of the BRS’ strength of 38 in the Assembly, they will merge with the Congress. This was exactly the formula KCR had adopted when he maneuvered Congress MLAs into the BRS during his tenure as the chief minister between 2018 and 2023.
(Edited by Neena)
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