HYDERABAD: The exodus of BRS MLAs continues into the Congress, regardless of party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao’s exhortations to them to the contrary. KCR has been telling the party legislators that being out of power is only a temporary phase in a party’s journey. He was trying to make them realise that the party would surely see the halcyon days in which it had basked in the past.
Interestingly, most of the legislators who changed their plumes did so after attending KCR’s pep-talk to them to remain committed to the BRS and not stray to the grand old party.
The BRS chief held several meetings with MLAs and other key leaders in the recent past to instil in them faith that the party would bounce back.
Senior legislator and former speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Chevella and Jagtial MLAs Kale Yadaiah, and Dr N Sanjay Kumar respectively joined the Congress even after KCR told them to stick with the BRS.
The latest to join the Congress after attending KCR’s motivation classes was Gadwal MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy. Chief Minister
Revanth Reddy welcomed him into the party fold at his residence on Saturday morning.
As of now, the number of MLAs poached by Revanth Reddy has risen to seven. The BRS, under the relentless pummelling by the Congress, appears to be breaking up, unable to hold its flock of MLAs together. What has come as a disturbing development was that the legislators considered very loyal to KCR have begun leaving one after the other in a metronymic rhythm.
For instance, MLC T Bhanu Prasad Rao who was sent to the Legislative Council thrice by KCR had no qualms in quitting the BRS and embracing the Congress. Then, MLAs Dr N Sanjay Kumar and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy too left though they had strong ties with KCR and his family all along.
The BRS leaders found it unnerving to see six MLAs in the GHMC area skipping the meeting of corporators and legislators called on Friday to decide the strategy to be adopted to move a no-confidence motion in the GHMC council meeting on Saturday against Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, who recently left the BRS and joined the Congress.
