Former MLA from Ashwaraopet and TRS leader Thati Venkateshwarlu joined the Congress on Friday along with his followers announcing that people were fed up with the TRS government due to the unfulfilled promises.
Mr. Venkateshwarlu, who was elected on the YSRCP ticket in 2014 but shifted to the TRS immediately, was invited into the party by TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy in the presence of Mulug MLA Seethakka, TPCC working presidents Mahesh Kumar Goud and Anjan Kumar Yadav at the Gandhi Bhavan. TRS sitting ZPTC Kantha Rao and some sarpanches owing allegiance to the ruling party also joined.
‘More joinings soon’
Mr. Revanth Reddy said the inflow into Congress will increase as leaders were fed up with the TRS government. He said Congress will triumph in all the constituencies in the erstwhile Khammam district saying the tribals’ rights were violated by the TRS that failed to provide pattas to the podu lands despite promising.
He said while Congress provided the rights for tribals on the forest lands the TRS government was taking away those lands and had even filed hundreds of cases and sent women to jail for protesting. Once Congress comes back to power it will ensure all the rights given to the tribals would be respected.
Mr. Reddy said a massive meeting would be held in Ashwaraopet soon as more leaders from Khammam district were willing to join and the dates would be fixed after consulting the CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka and senior leader Renuka Chowdhury who were away in New Delhi.
Mr. Venkateshwarlu said the TRS government had forgotten the farm loan waiver as promised and the farmers were suffering issues on the Dharani portal. He said it was YS Rajashekhar Reddy who provided pattas for podu lands cultivated by the tribals while KCR was snatching away the same. He said traibals will get justice only in Congress rule.