BRS leader slams Congress, says party has seen MLAs defections in past too

Hyderabad: Taking strong exception to BRS MLAs joining the ruling Congress in Telangana, BRS leader K T Rama Rao on Monday said his party had seen similar defections in the past when Congress was in power and that the grand old party had to eventually “bow down”.

Responding to BRS MLA from Jagtial, Sanjay Kumar, switching loyalties to Congress on Sunday, Rao, who is working president of BRS, said the power of people is always stronger than the people in power.

“We have faced several defections of MLAs in the past in 2004-06 when Congress was in Government. Telangana responded strongly by stepping up the people’s agitation & eventually Congress had to bow its head. History shall repeat itself,” Rao said on ‘X’.

The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) suffered yet another setback on Sunday as Kumar joined the Congress.

Kumar was welcomed into the Congress fold by Chief Minister and PCC president A Revanth Reddy, party sources said.

He is the fifth BRS MLA to join the Congress. A doctor by profession, Kumar was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the second time.

Kumar joining the Congress came close on the heels of senior BRS MLA and former Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy switching over to the grand old party on June 21.

Earlier, BRS MLAs Kadiam Srihari, Danam Nagender and Tellam Venkat Rao joined the ruling party.

Besides these MLAs, several other BRS leaders, including Hyderabad Mayor Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal, have also joined the Congress.

There have been speculations that more BRS MLAs would join the Congress in the days to come.

BRS had won 39 of the total 119 Assembly seats in the elections held last year, while Congress came to power with 64 seats.

BRS MLA from Secunderabad Cantonment G Lasya Nanditha died in a road accident earlier this year.

Congress won the recently held bypoll for Secunderabad Cantonment segment. This led to an increase of its MLAs to 65.