- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
At a time when the opposition in India are trying to cement unity against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 general elections, the Indian National Congress, one of the main opposition forces, was witnessing more erosion within its ranks.
On Friday, Kiran Kumar Reddy, a leader of the grand-old party who was also the last chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh — a southern state — joined the BJP. He resigned from the Congress last month over differences with the party leadership.
Reddy’s move came just a day after Anil K Antony, another Congress leader from the southern state of Telangana and son of former defence minister AK Antony, joined the saffron party. The successive incidents will be a blow to the Congress in southern India where the BJP is yet to be a major player.
Reddy’s joining the BJP also happened ahead of the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh next year. In the state that is called Andhra Pradesh following the formation of Telangana, the YSR Congress is in power while the Telugu Desam Party is in the opposition. The BJP will be hopeful about making serious inroads in the state with help of veterans such as Reddy.
This is not the first time that Reddy had resigned from the Congress. He had done it earlier in 2014 after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and floated his own party — Jai Samayikyandhra Party (Long Live United Andhra Party) to protest the decision of dividing the state. However, it failed to get enough traction and Reddy, 63, returned to the Congress in 2018. He, however, remained inactive in politics for a long time.
Reddy is expected to boost the BJP’s chances in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra from where he belongs. He could also be projected as a potential chief minister candidate by the BJP in the next election.
Anil Antony, who lauded prime minister Narendra Modi when joining the BJP on Thursday (6), mocked the Congress while welcoming Reddy in the BJP.
“Welcome Kiran Kumar Reddy ji to the @BJP4India ! Glad you have also joined the organization that is working for India’s core national interests and for public interests without prejudice and bias.
How many more should say that the emperor has no clothes before the grand royals…” he tweeted.
Reddy also praised Modi as he was welcomed into the BJP by senior leaders at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi.
He also cited his family’s six-decade-long association with the Congress and said he “never imagined” that such a day would come.
Reddy also hit out at his Congress leadership for its “inability to accept the people’s verdict and make course correction”. “They believe they are correct and all others, including the people of India, are wrong”, NDTV reported.
“They want authority to control but don’t want to work hard or take any responsibility… The Congress is getting damaged in all states and its high command does not interact with others or take their opinion,” the veteran politician said.
