In a huge embarrassment to the Congress party in Telangana a day before the entry of party leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in the state, party MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy predicted that Congress will lose the by-election to Munugode Assembly seat.
Venkat Reddy, who is the star campaigner of the Congress party, went on to predict that his brother and BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy will win the November 3 by-poll.
A video of the Bhongir MP’s interaction with some people went viral on social media on Saturday even as the party leaders were engaged in hectic campaigning in Munugode and were preparing to welcome Rahul Gandhi, whose Yatra is set to enter the state.
The video surfaced hours after an audio clip of Venkat Reddy went viral in which he is heard urging local Congress leaders to support his brother.
In the video clip, Venkat Reddy defended his decision not to campaign for Congress party candidate in the by-election.
“Why should I campaign for the party in an election which it is going to lose,” he is heard asking. He predicted that Rajagopal Reddy will win the by-poll.
Venkat Reddy also made some comments which indicate that he is not bothered about what action the party leadership takes against him for his open defiance. “I have been in position for 25 years. I won elections five times. This is enough for me,” he said.
Rajagopal Reddy had resigned as MLA and also quit Congress to join the BJP. The saffron party has fielded him as its candidate in the by-election.
There have been speculations in recent weeks that Venkat Reddy will also follow his brother and switch loyalties to BJP.
The audio and video of the MP have surfaced days after he made it clear that he will not campaign in Munugode where Congress has fielded Palvai Sravanthi as its candidate.
“There is no need for a ‘home guard’ like me there. Only ‘SP level’ leaders will go there,” the MP quipped when asked if he would campaign for the Congress party in the by-election.
“A leader said that he will bring the party to power even if 100 cases are booked against him. He will go there. I am an ordinary worker of the Congress party,” he said.
Venkat Reddy did not name the leader but he was apparently referring to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy.
After Rajagopal Reddy’s resignation, TPCC chief Revanth Reddy had lashed out at him and also made certain remarks against his brother Venkat Reddy. Revanth Reddy’s supporter Addanki Dayakar had made a bitter attack on the MP and made ‘home guard’ and ‘bartender’ jibes.
Last year, Venkat Reddy had criticized the party’s central leadership over the appointment of Revanth Reddy as TPCC chief. Venkat Reddy, who was also one of the aspirants for the post, made serious allegations against some central leaders of the party and had vowed not to step into state party headquarters Gandhi Bhavan.
The Bhongir MP, however, had later started participating in party activities and was seen with Revanth Reddy on a few occasions. In April, the party’s central leadership appointed him the star campaigner.
Meanwhile, Congress MP and former MP Uttam Kumar Reddy refused to comment on Venkat Reddy’s defiance. He said the party’s central leadership will deal with the issue.
