Blow for TRS as two leaders join Congress

In a major embarrassment to Telangana’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) two of its senior leaders, including a member of the legislative council, formally joined the Congress party yesterday.

Meanwhile another of the party’s top leaders and a member of the Rajya Sabha, D. Srinivas, called on Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.

The leaders who joined the Congress were T. Narsa Reddy, a key party leader in Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s (KCR) home constituency, and member of the legislative council Ramulu Naik. They were formally welcomed to the Congress fold by Rahul.

Reddy, who was also the chairman of the State Road Development Corporation, was suspended from the TRS on Friday.

Later, talking to journalists, Reddy accused KCR of showing scant regard to other leaders in the party.

“This is like a homecoming for me,” Reddy said.

The TRS had suspended Naik, who had been seeking a party ticket for the Narayankhed constituency.

Meanwhile, Srinivas met Rahul amid speculation that he may also return to the Congress fold.