YSRCP MP Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju on Monday said he was never keen on joining the YSRCP and that did he so only after repeated requests from the YSRCP leadership.
Talking to media on Monday, he said “I never sought a ticket from the YSRCP. As a matter of fact, the YSRCP leadership offered the ticket to me. The party leadership requested several times pleading me to join the party.
They literally pleaded me to join the party. The YSCRCP leadership said only if I join the party will other MPs join the YSRCP. They asked me to join the party because Narsapur is a stranglehold of the TDP. I had no interest, but after several deliberations I joined the party,” he said.
Eversince Raju hosted a farewell party to MPs after Parliament winter session in 2019, relations have soured with Jagan. Raju had also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president and Union home minister Amit Shah for the dinner.
Further, Raghurama Krishnam Raju has not been seeing eye-to-eye with the policy decisions of the Jagan government. He was highly critical of the Andhra Pradesh government’s move to implement English medium in government schools and also raised the issue in Parliament seeking protection of Telugu language and Centre’s intervention in ensuring teaching in mother tongue in primary classes, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took a serious view as this flew in the face of his government’s decision to introduce English medium in government schools for classes I to VI.
He also criticized Jagan’s sand policy saying it had led to scarcity of sand and rampant irregularities in its supply.
Admitted that due procedures were not allowed in arresting Atchannaidu, but refused to believe that the arrest was an act of political vendetta. Further, he noted that disallowing former chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu from meeting Atchannaidu at the Guntur hospital amounted to rights violation. On Saturday, when Naidu went to Guntur hospital to meet Atchannaidu he was asked to take permission from the magistrate. The YSRCP MP also admitted that there is large-scale corruption in distribution of house sites to the poor. He also said MPs are finding it difficult to get an appointment with Jagan Mohan Reddy because of the coteire surrounding the CM. “I couldn’t get an appointment with the CM several times. On the issue of shifting the capital from Amaravati, he said, “It is a sensitive issue. I have an affinity to Vijayawada where I was born and brought up. I fiercely want Amaravati to be the capital. Jagan was of the view that Amaravati will continue to be the capital with two more capitals. BJP also wants Amaravati to be the capital.” Earlier, the YSRCP MP admitted on Times Now debate that conversions are rampant in Andhra Pradesh with the money power of Christian missionaries but added that the government is not involved.
