In a surprising development in the Telangana Congress party, former minister and ex-MP Dharmapuri Srinivas, popularly called DS, announced his resignation from the Congress within hours of returning to the party.
In a letter to All India Congress Committee president Mallikharjun Kharge on Monday, DS said he had come to Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday only on the occasion of his son D Sanjay joining the party.
“But, the party leaders offered be Congress khanduva (stole) and announced that I had joined the party. But it is not correct. In view of my age and health conditions, I have been keeping away from active politics, though ideologically, I am still a Congress man,” he said.
Having known the procedures and policies of the Congress party, the former minster said the allotment of tickets to the contestants would be done in tune with the laid down procedures.
“It is not appropriate to link my joining the Congress with the party ticket to my son,” he said.
Stating that it is not correct to drag him into political controversies, DS said if the Congress leadership thought he had joined the party, he was tendering his resignation with immediate effect.
Interestingly, Sanjay was in a jubilant mood and described it as a home coming when he returned to the Congress on Sunday at Gandhi Bhavan, eight years after he left to join the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
Srinivas, who was a suspended member of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS), for the past few years, was welcomed into the Congress fold by AICC incharge Manikrao Thakre and TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy, besides senior leaders.
The former MLA and MP, who is now confined to a wheelchair, said he was returning to the party fold to support Rahul Gandhi. Revanth termed Srinivas’ return as lucky for the party, citing that the Congress came to power under his leadership — not once, but twice.
“This is a crucial moment for the party. DS came back to support the Gandhi family at this juncture. Everyone should welcome his decision. He was welcomed by all the top leaders of the party,” he said.