BRS suspends former MP, ex-minister over ‘anti-party’ activities

BRS suspended former MP Ponguleti Srinivasulu Reddy and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao.

Former Telangana parliamentarian Ponguleti Srinivasulu Reddy and former minister Jupally Krishna Rao were on Monday suspended from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), a day after they attacked the party leadership over alleged suppression of democratic voices.

K Chandrasekhar Rao. (PTI)

An official statement from the BRS central office said the decision to suspend them from the party was taken on the directions of party president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, for their anti-party activities.

On Sunday, Srinivasulu Reddy organised an “Atmeeya Sammelanam” (a congregation of close acquaintances) at Kothagudem town in Bhadradri Kothagudem district to take a dig at the BRS leadership for ignoring genuine party workers.

Reddy said that KCR was dreaming of becoming a chief minister for the third time but it would remain a dream.

The meeting was attended by Krishna Rao, who represented Kollapur assembly constituency in Nagarkurnool district. He alleged that the chief minister was acting like a monarch, suppressing the democratic voices in the party.

“I have sacrificed posts and positions in the Congress party and joined the BRS (formerly Telangana Rashtra Samithi) to fight for the separate statehood. But I was completely sidelined in the party. The people, who had voted for the BRS with high hopes, are now thoroughly disappointed,” he said.

Rao said sarpanches were suffering from huge financial losses as the KCR government had failed to clear the pending bills. So was the case with irrigation contractors, whose bills were pending with the government for clearance,” he said.

The former minister said those who questioned the autocratic rule of KCR were being harassed with police cases. “KCR and his family members are looting the state,” he alleged.

Reddy, who got elected from Khammam parliamentary constituency in 2014 on YSR Congress party ticket, shifted loyalties to the BRS. In 2019 general elections, however, he was denied the BRS ticket, which was given to his arch rival Nama Nageshwara Rao, who defected from Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Since then, Reddy was sulking and feeling completely sidelined. On January 18, when KCR addressed a huge rally of the BRS at Khammam, which was attended by several opposition leaders in the country, Reddy was not invited.

On the other hand, Rao has also been feeling neglected in the party, ever since he lost the assembly seat from Kollapur in 2018 elections. He lost to Congress candidate B Harshvardhan Reddy, who later defected to the BRS.

Senior BRS leader and state agriculture minister S Niranjan Reddy said the party had given a long rope to Srinivasulu Reddy and Krishna Rao to mend their ways, before suspending them from the party.

“Party is supreme for anybody and no individual is above the party. The two leaders were suspended only after they crossed the party line and made serious comments against the party leadership which is not tolerable,” the minister said.

He said both Srinivasulu Reddy and Krishna Rao had enjoyed prime positions in the party. “Yet, they chose to criticise KCR and his leadership. They are speaking in the tone of opposition parties,” Niranjan Reddy said.