Indicating that he might not continue in the Congress for long, senior party leader and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Friday announced that he won’t campaign for the party in the forthcoming by-elections to Munugode assembly seat in Nalgonda district.
The reason is obvious: Venkat Reddy’s own younger brother Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy who represented Munugode assembly constituency till recently resigned from the seat and will be contesting for the seat on the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket.
Interestingly, the Congress high command had earlier appointed Venkat Reddy as the star campaigner of the party in Telangana. However, he cannot campaign for the party in Munugode against his own brother.
So, he is finding excuses to get out of the party and has been making allegations against the party and PCC chief A Revanth Reddy. He said there had been a systematic attempt to hound him out of the Congress.
“Just because my brother has quit the Congress, the party leaders are targeting me and insulting me. I felt very bad when Revanth Reddy compared me with a home guard, despite the fact that I have been working for the Congress for several years,” he regretted.
Venkat Reddy also lamented that the Congress leaders had not been taking him into confidence and not consulting him in the selection of candidate for the Munugode assembly by-poll.
He wondered by AICC in-charge of Telangana Manickam Tagore had not come to his house in Nalgonda, though he had gone to the residence of senior leader K Jana Reddy.
“Is it proper for Revanth Reddy and others to make comments against me, though I had served the party for several years and quit the cabinet post for Telangana?” he asked.
Venkat Reddy alleged that the PCC chief was trying to send seniors like him out of the party.
“They have not called me to the meetings to discuss the Munugode by-polls. I don’t know what is happening in the party. That is why I have decided not to campaign for the party in the by-elections as I don’t want to face humiliations by extending unsolicited support to the party,” he declared.