Goud rules out moving to TRS

City Congress leader and former minister Mukesh Goud on Sunday ruled out joining the TRS. Mr said he would continue in the Congress and had no plans to quit the party. TRS city leaders met Goud on his birthday on Sunday, fuelling speculations of his joining the TRS.

However, senior Congress leaders too rushed to meet him and convinced him to stay back in the party. Mr Goud hosted a lunch for his supporters on Sunday on the occasion of his birthday. He told them, “After Danam Nagender quit the Congress and joined the TRS recently, several rumours are doing the rounds that I too will quit the Congress and join the TRS. But I don't want to quit the Congress. Do not believe in such baseless speculations. I want to strengthen the Congress in GHMC limits.”

After city TRS president Mynampally Hanumantha Rao met Mr Goud, the TPCC leadership alerted the Congress leaders to speak to him and ensure that he did not quit the party.

Former Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao and former deputy CM Damodar Rajanarasimha met Goud and urged him not to leave the party.

Mr Goud has been staying away from Congress party activities for the past four years, ever since he lost the Assembly elections in 2014. Mr Goud is said to be upset with the TPCC leadership for ignoring him for the past four years. He was also unhappy with BC leaders not getting due recognition in the Congress, a charge levelled by Danam Nagen-der before joining the TRS.

Senior Congress leaders promised Goud that BC leaders would get the desired posts soon as AICC president Rahul Gandhi was planning to revamp the party before 2019 polls.