Amid escalating tensions between Telangana Chief Minister KCR and Congress leader Revanth Reddy, a growing number of BRS MLAs are defecting to Congress. This shift is driven by dissatisfaction with KCR’s leadership and the allure of Congress’ promises for development and better governance. The political landscape in Telangana is rapidly transforming.
BRS turncoat MLA Krishna Mohan Reddy, who recently did a U-turn and returned ‘home’ seems to be back in the Congress again. Both Congress and BRS are trying to gain an upper hand in playing the perception game in Telangana. For instance, Gadwal BRS MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, who joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in early July, met BRS working President KT Rama Rao in the BRS Legislature Party office in the Assembly building on Tuesday, 30 July.
He later announced his return home. He even said that in Congress, he was treated shabbily.
But on Thursday, 1 August, Excise and Prohibition Minister Jupally Krishna Rao drove to Krishna Mohan Reddy’s residence, apparently at the behest of Revanth Reddy. Both leaders had a lengthy closed-door conversation. Later, Krishna Rao said that Krishna Mohan Reddy had changed his mind and would stay with the Congress.
The pictures of both the leaders having lunch flooded social media platforms, as a sense of dejection overwhelmed the BRS leaders once again.
What changed his mind?
According to sources, after Krishna Mohan Reddy met KTR on Tuesday, the chief minister had a tete-e-tete with the remaining nine MLAs, who had crossed over to the Congress, on the night of Wednesday, 31 July.
With Krishna Mohan Reddy skipping the meeting, Revanth Reddy is understood to have asked Krishna Rao to counsel with Krishna Mohan Reddy and see that the entire flock of 10 MLAs from the BRS, who joined the Congress remained in the party.
The Congress is keen on building an impression that the BRS MLAs are making a beeline to the grand old party and any development to the contrary is being addressed immediately. BRS on the other hand is trying to send out a message that the flood tide into the Congress had stopped and those who joined the ranks of the Congress were returning.
When Krishna Mohan Reddy met KTR, the BRS leaders had said that reverse migration of its MLAs had begun and would soon pick up speed. They apparently wanted to take the maximum advantage of Krishna Mohan Reddy meeting with the KTR.
They said that in the next three to four days, three more MLAs, who had joined the Congress, would return home, repenting their decision.
They even named the MLAs:- Tellam Venkata Rao (Bhadrachalam), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella) and Dr M Sanjay Kumar (Jagtiyal). The information that filtered through the doors of the Telangana Bhavan suggested that Krishna Mohan Reddy had triggered a domino effect.
The leaders said that before long all the BRS MLAs would be back in Telangana Bhavan. They even took the argument to the extreme length that even some Congress MLAs would also switch loyalty to the BRS. They maintained that the Congress was an inhospitable place for any MLA to survive, leave alone grow.
Domino effect?
But the Congress leaders dismissed the ‘leaks’ from the BRS as those intended to arrest the tide as the Opposition party is no longer in the pink of health. Congress Minister Komatireddy Venkatareddy said that Bandla Krisna Mohan Reddy would not return to the BRS but remain with the Congress.
The day on which Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy met KTR, Bhadrachalam BRS MLA Tellam Venkata Rao also called on him, triggering speculation that he too had decided to return home. But Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, whose protegee Venkata Rao is, said that Rao was not going anywhere.
Ever since the Congress won the Assembly elections in 2023, several BRS MLAs including MPs started donning the Congress robes. Subsequently, the BRS leaders appeared to be on the edge, trying to find out means to stop the migration of MLAs.
When Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy met KTR on the Assembly premises, the party had found “proof” for those who had left the BRS were repenting, seeking redemption.
What contributed to Krishna Mohan Reddy’s decision?
Krishna Mohan Reddy’s impulsive decisions and his flip-flops are not difficult to understand. When he was being cajoled into the Congress, the local Congress leaders, specifically former Zilla Parishad chairperson Saritha Tirupataiah, was dead against his induction into the party.
When rumours were doing the rounds that Bandla would be taken into the Congress, she rushed to Hyderabad with her supporters and met Nagarkurnool MP Mallu Ravi. While pleading with him not allow Krishna Mohan Reddy into the party, she broke down.
The reason for her opposition is that she fought and lost the Assembly election from Gadwal against Krishna Mohan Reddy by a margin of over 7,000 votes. But the Congress leaders promised her that the party would compensate her in some way or the other for allowing Krishna Reddy’s admission into the Congress.
Later, Krishna Mohan Reddy joined the Congress but soon he sensed that Saritha was being given more importance in the party. There were also reports doing round that she might be taken in as vice-president of the TPCC.
Krishna Mohan Reddy, who thought he was being sidelined, decided to return home and met KCR. But Jupally Krishna Rao’s counselling seems to have made him change his mind. The pendulum is swinging back towards the Congress.
How is Congress wooing BRS MLAs?
Apart from the Congress being the ruling party, what else in the party that is pulling them into its fold like a powerful electromagnet?
BRS sources said the legislators who had joined the Congress have their own skeletons in the cupboard. They are of the opinion that being on the side of the ruling party would insulate them from investigation agencies.
For instance, if Pantacheruvu BRS MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy joined the Congress, it was allegedly because there are cases against his brother who is into granite business. It is said that many MLAs in the BRS had amassed huge wealth, taking advantage of booming real estate business and now they want protection from the prying investigation agencies.
The other factor is that getting funds for one’s constituency becomes easier if one is with the ruling party. And thus, the tug-of-war continues. The Congress has the advantage as it is the ruling party. It keeps attracting MLAs the way a flame that attracts moths.
The BRS is fighting a losing battle in retaining its MLAs with Speaker not taking any action on their petition seeking disqualification of the defected MLAs. Even the case in the High Court is taking long with both sides putting forth lengthy arguments in support of their contentions. #hydkhabar
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