Telangana Congress Committee working president and Sangareddy MLA T. Jayaprakash Reddy has announced that he would not be part of the party from Saturday.
In two separate letters to AICC president Sonia Gandhi and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, he said he was unable to take the humiliation on social media targeting him as covert of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), and the party machinery has neither the interest nor the mechanism to restrain those involved in personally maligning him.
The senior Congress leader, who is popularly known as Jagga Reddy, however has not resigned from the party though he said he would soon send his resignation from the party position and the party. There was no clarity whether he would resign as MLA as well.
In his four-page letter, Mr. Reddy felt there was a conspiracy to malign him and he would not join any other party as it would be tantamount to lending credence to the social media campaign against him. He said he was the only Congress leader to have come forward to contest against the ruling TRS party during the local body MLC elections by fielding his wife Nirmal Jagga Reddy from the combined Medak district. If I was a covert why would I field my wife as the party candidate despite being aware of the end result, he asked.
“Yet the negative campaign against me continued while no one questions the integrity of other leaders who failed to put up candidates in their respective constituencies,” he said adding that the party leadership has failed to contain the smear campaign against him.
Stating that he has great respect for the Gandhi family, he said he always spoke his heart out on any issue. If I made certain suggestions, it was always for strengthening the party, he said.
“I was labelled as anti-Telangana during the Telangana agitation as he advised the party not to create separate Telangana fearing it would politically suffer badly in both the States. It has come out true,” he said.
Mr. Reddy said he is leaving the party to put an end to the smear campaign and announced that he would pursue an independent political life so that no one can fault him. “As an independent, I will be responsible for my own deeds,” he said.
As soon as the news spread of his decision, senior leaders including, Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka and others spoke to him and advised him not to take any hasty decision. Former MP V. Hanumantha Rao went to his house to pacify him and change his decision. TPCC general secretary Bollu Kishan fell on his feet and pleaded with him not to leave the party.
TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy, who was visiting Sammakka Sarakka festival in Mulugu district, described Mr. Jagga Reddy has his brother and that any differences would be sorted out. He termed the development as “a storm in a teacup.”
