BRS leader threatens to quit party if denied ticket

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former mayor of Greater Hyderabad, Teegala Krishna Reddy has threatened to quit the party if he is not given ticket from Maheshwaram constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The former MLA also found fault with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for taking education minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy, who had contested against him as Congress candidate in 2018 elections.

Krishna Reddy has been unhappy ever since Sabitha Indra Reddy switched loyalties to TRS (now BRS) along with some other Congress leaders in 2019. Chief Minister KCR rewarded her with a Cabinet berth.

In 2018, Krishna Reddy contested from Maheshwaram on TRS ticket but lost to Congress party’s candidate Sabitha Indra Reddy.

Krishna Reddy had served as mayor of Greater Hyderabad from 2002 to 2007. He was elected from Maheshwaram constituency on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket in 2014. However, a few months after the polls, he crossed over to TRS along with three other TDP MLAs.

Krishna Reddy said his opponents within the party are saying that since his daughter-in-law Anitha Reddy is Rangareddy Zilla Parishad chairperson, his family should not get two posts. The former mayor said it would not be proper if he opens his mouth to respond to them.

He said like KCR he too had been in politics for a long time. Stating that several leaders who were active during the Telangana movement were leaving the party, he said the party leadership should call and hold talks with them.

Last year, Krishna Reddy had joined the party by alleging that minister Sabitha Indira Reddy was encouraging encroachments in Maheshwaram constituency.

He slammed the minister for destroying Meerpet Mantrala lake. Stating that he would not keep quiet over the destruction of Meerpet, he had said if necessary he would launch an indefinite fast.

He said the minister was promoting encroachments and remarked that even lakes and schools were not being spared.