The defections of opposition MLAs to ruling parties are going on in Telugu states unabated. Two days after YSRC deputy leader in Andhra pradesh Assembly Jyothula Nehru joined the ruling TDP, another very important leader of the opposition party Sujaya Krishna Rangarao is expected to accept the Telugu Desam Kanduva from chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Rangarao is an MLA from Bobbili constituency and is considered one of the close aides of party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy. According to reports, he is likely to desert the YSRC to join TDP in two or three days. It the reporter were true, it is going to be major setback to Jagan. Because, none can accuse Rangarao, a descendant of Bobbily princely state, of taking money from the ruling party to quit YSRC. As he is a rich politician, such a accusation won’t stick. The reason for his leaving the party -either he might have been not happy with the style of functioning of the boss or TDP might lured him a cabinet berth. Either way, losing Sujaya Krishna Rangao is a big loss to the opposition party.
Across the border, in Telangna, Makhtal Congress MLA Chittem Rammohan Reddy today joined the TRS in the presence of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Rammoahan Reddy is the brother of Gadwal Congress MLA DK Aruna. But politically there in rival factions of the party. Today Reddy called on chief minister KCR at his camp office and joined the party. Talking to media later he said he had joined the party for the development of his constituency in Mahabubnagar district. He denied having been under pressure from TRS to quit the Congress. ” There are no pressures whatsoever on me. I joined basically for the development of my constituency,” he said. Defending his crossing over to TRS, Reddy said he had never criticized the TRS government.
He said his sister Aruna and he were following different lines in politics and feigned ignorance on the reports that Aruna joining the TRS.
Ever since the formation of government in separate Telangana state, TRS has been made it a policy to lure the MLAs and MLCs from the opposition parties, especially, TDP and Congress. In the process, TDP lost 12 MLAs out of its 15 in Assembly. On other hand, the Congress is hit by two factors, deaths and desertions to TRS. In the past two years, it lost two members due to death and now a member has deserted the party.
