Strange are the ways of rebel YSR Congress party MP from Narasapuram parliamentary constituency K Raghurama Krishnam Raju, who has virtually entered into a confrontation with the party leadership.
Of late, Raju has been speaking in favour of Telugu Desam Party’s decisions, while trying to pamper the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership. But on the record, he says he has been a strong loyalist of the YSRC and has no intentions of changing parties.
The YSRC MP has openly endorsed the demand for the Telugu Desam Party for retaining Amaravati as the capital city for Andhra Pradesh.
On Monday, too, he said Amaravati should be continued as the administrative capital and announced that he would take up the demand with President Ram Nath Kovind,
“I am going to meet the President of India on Tuesday and request him to see that the capital should be retained at Amaravati,” Raju said.
He wondered who had given the advice to chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to adopt the South Africa model to have three capitals and why he was attracted towards this model.
“If Jagan gives me appointment, I will explain to him why the move is wrong,” he said.
Raju reminded that Jagan, too, had supported Amaravati as the capital city before the elections and also in his election manifesto.
“Jagan claims he will not change his word and stand on any issue, has now take a different turn and is going in for three capitals,” he said.
The YSRC MP also supported the TDP stand with regard to Mansas Trust and Simhachalam temple trust in Visakhapatnam.
“During the regime of the TDP, the Simhachalam temple was well maintained by senior TDP leader P Ashok Gajapathi Raju. After he was stripped of the post unceremoniously, the goshala (cow shelter) of the temple has suffered a lot and several cows died,” he pointed out.
He said those who had taken over the trust forcibly would face the consequences of sacking Ashok.
“And I am sure he will be back into the temple soon,” he said.
Interestingly, Raju also made an attempt to get further closer to the BJP.
On Monday, he announced that he was donating his three-months salary as an MP to the Sri Ram Mandir Trust which is constructing the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.