DANAM QUITS CONGRESS, MORE TO FOLLOW SUIT
Meets TRS minister as Congress men fail to track him
In a major political setback to the Congress in Hyderabad city, former minister and former president of the Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee, Danam Nagendar, resigned from the party on Friday.
He sent his letter of resignation to AICC president Rahul Gandhi and TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Another former minister from Hyderabad city, M. Mukesh, is also likely to resign along with his son, Youth Congress leader Vikram Goud. Mr Nagender and Mr Mukesh Goud are likely to join the TRS.
Mr Nagender was close to the late Congress Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and had a strong position in the city Congress.
After receiving Mr Nagender’s resignation letter, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy went to his residence but he was not at home. Mr Reddy tried calling Mr Nagender, but his phone was switched off.
Former minister Danam Nagender, who quit the Congress on Friday, did not take telephone calls from party leaders who were trying to persuade him to stay. The former minister, meanwhile, turned up to meet TRS minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav.
After receiving Mr Nagender’s resignation letter, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy went to his residence but he was not at home. Mr Reddy tried calling Mr Nagender, but his phone was switched off.
The TPCC president. and party leaders K. Jana Reddy, Shabbir Ali and V. Hanumantha Rao met at Mr Jana Reddy’s residence and discussed measures to stop Mr Nagender from leaving the party.
After the meeting, Mr Hanumantha Rao told mediapersons that they were not able to trace Mr Nagender and said they would “try to meet him till the last minute.” He said Mr Nagender’s resignation was a loss to the party in Hyderabad.
He said he did not know why Mr Nagender felt hurt and what made him leave the party. Asked about another former minister, Mr Mukesh Goud, leaving the Congress, Mr Hanumantha Rao said, “It is an old story, Mukesh wants to join the TRS.”
While the Congress leaders were at Mr Jana Reddy’s residence, Mr Nagender met with TRS minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav for about an hour.
Mr Srinivas Yadav said that they were friends for 30 years, irrespective of which party they were in. When asked about Mr Nagender joining the TRS, Mr Srinivas Yadav said, “Whoever wants to join the TRS is welcome.”