KT Rama Rao "invites" Ponnala Lakshmaiah to BRS after his exit from Congress
Oct 14, 2023
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 14 : A day after senior leader Ponnala Lakshmaiah resigned from the Congress party, Telangana Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao on Friday called on the former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief at his residence in Hyderabad.
Though Ponnala Lakshmaiah denied reports of him joining any other political party, KT Rama Rao said that the former Telangana chief would be offered a "suitable position" in BRS.
"We invite Ponnala Lakshmaiah to BRS. We will give him a suitable position in the party. He will meet the CM tomorrow. He might join BRS in a public meeting to be held at Jangaon on October 16," Rama Rao said while speaking to reporters after meeting Ponnala Lakshmaiah in Hyderabad.
With less than two months remaining for the Telangana Assembly elections, the senior leader of Congress resigned from the party citing an "unjust environment".
Soon after resigning from the Congress party, Lakshmaiah on Friday said that politics in the country is overtaking the development and welfare of rural people.
In his letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lakshmaiah alleged that when a group of 50 OBC leaders from Telangana went to Delhi to request prioritisation for the Backward Classes, they were denied even a meeting with AICC leaders, which was an embarrassment for the state that prides itself on self-respect.
He further alleged that the Congress party has seen a shift in its core ideology and individualism seems to have taken precedence over our collective strength within the party.
However, Ponnala Lakshmaiah's resignation from the party comes as a setback for the Congress which is gearing up to announce its list of candidates for the November 30 assembly polls.
The senior leader further said that the party's candidate selection process, which should ideally be risen by the principles of fairness and representation has come 'under question'.
