Hyderabad: After lot of speculation over his course of action, Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, who won the 2018 polls on a Congress ticket, resigned from the party as well as his membership. He is all set to join the BJP at a public meeting planned in Munugode Assembly constituency on August 21.
The saffron party too has attached greater significance to his joining as reflected in Union home minister Amit Shah attending the meet to welcome Rajgopal Reddy into the party fold.
“I intend to usher in a new people’s movement against the corrupt and autocratic regime of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao,” the former MLA told Deccan Chronicle in a brief conversation.
Excerpts
The bypoll is imminent. What is in store for you?
A: It is an open secret that the ruling dispensation will try all the tricks to win. They will splurge money. But, I have confidence in Munugode electorate. They want to teach a lesson to the corrupt family rule of KCR
What will be the focus of your campaign?
A: I recently interacted with a large number of my supporters and successfully conveyed to them the need for bringing in a new people’s movement, similar to the one that helped realise the decades-old dream of separate Telangana. I will now go to people explaining the same to them besides the reasons that influenced my decision.
How different this bypoll would be from Huzurabad?
A: (Etala) Rajendar fell victim of KCR’s politics and attempts were made to take away his assets and people had sympathy. Here, I am fighting against discrimination in releasing funds to constituencies held by Opposition party MLAs and fighting to liberate Telangana from the clutches of KCR’s family and restore democracy.
The Congress says you would have stayed back in the party and contested again on its ticket if your claims that ensuring development and release of funds were the driving force for your resignation were genuine.
A: I made it clear that it is the Modi-Shah duo alone, not the Congress that too in Revanth Reddy’s leadership, can defeat KCR
Will your brother and Nalgonda MP Venkat Reddy campaign against you?
A: I don’t know about his moves but at the Chandur meeting the state Congress leadership clearly conveyed that it did not want my brother to campaign for the party. People saw how abusive the speakers were of my brother and my family. It is a conscious attempt by the PCC chief to keep my brother away. I respect whatever the decision my brother takes.
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