KCR ‘gives’ his nod to Jeevan Reddy’s entry into BRS

Senior Congress leader and former minister T. Jeevan Reddy is all set to quit the party, severing 40 years of association with it. The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), to which he is expected to join, is weighing on the respectable position to be offered.

BRS chief and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has given his nod to Mr. Reddy’s entry into the party, respecting his seniority and non-controversial image. “He will be an asset to the party and a weapon to target the government given the respect he commands in the society,” said a senior BRS leader.

There is nothing official about it so far, but the developments seen over the last week have the blessings of Mr. Rao, the senior BRS functionary told The Hindu. Whether Mr. Rao personally spoke to Mr. Jeevan Reddy is not yet clear.

Meanwhile, Mr Reddy, who feels humiliated in the Congress after BRS MLA from Jagityal, K. Sanjay Kumar, began sailing with the ruling party, also revealed his desire to leave the Congress. “Leaving the Congress is a certainty,” he told his supporters leaving the option of continuing with him to their choice.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Jeevan Reddy asked why he should continue in the party facing such humiliation. “It will be an insult to my personality if I continue in the present circumstances, and I am contemplating the move,” he said. However, he was non-commital on joining the BRS. “Lets wait how it unfolds,” he said.

Mr. Reddy is in no mood to consider the requests from the party leaders to continue as the top echelons of the Congress too have ignored his pleas for justice and ‘respect’ that he commanded in the last three decades.

The indications of his imminent exit were clear after his supporters tore down Congress banners and flex boards at his residence. The rivalry between Mr Jeevan Reddy and K Sanjay escalated during the recent municipal elections, where the former fielded his supporters as independents after being denied party tickets.

Several of them went on to win, demonstrating his influence in the constituency. The party also turned down his request for picking his candidate as the Mayor’s choice in Jagityal Municipality, further deepening the crisis.