Vijayawada MP Nani meets Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, to join YSRCP

Vijayawada : Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas (Nani), who announced his resignation from both MP seat and TDP membership, met Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at CM camp office here on Wednesday.

Later, speaking to media, Nani said that he decided to quit the TDP due to humiliation though he worked hard for strengthening the party and development of Vijayawada for all these years. He said that he had sent his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker and after acceptance of resignation, he will resign from TDP and join YSR Congress Party. He said Jagan Mohan Reddy welcomed him into the party and he had decided to sail with him “to serve the poor”.

The MP said that he had been serving TDP since 2013 when party chief N Chandrababu Naidu announced him as Vijayawada parliamentary constituency candidate. “I strived hard for the victory of the party in Krishna district. Though some well-wishers advised him not to continue in TDP, I remained in the party. Chandrababu Naidu tried to deny MP ticket in 2019 and took U-turn and offered ticket due to public pressure,” he claimed.

Nani said that he spent his own money for the TDP though the party insulted him. He said Naidu himself advised him to field his daughter Swetha to contest as Vijayawada mayor post and at the same time he had asked him (Nani) not to come for campaigning for corporation elections due to internal differences in the party. “The TDP leadership failed to react when one TDP leader and politburo member used abusive language against me in a public meeting. Though I wanted to quit then itself, Chandrababu Naidu did not allow me and asked to continue to contest as MP candidate,” he said.

Nani said when his brother Kesineni Shivanath (Chinni) sought Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat, the TDP encouraged him. He said that with the encouragement of TDP, some persons tried to attack him during Tiruvuru meeting held to discuss arrangements for party chief’s meeting. “Chandrababu created rift in my family. Though I was to attend the meetings of Chief Minister as per protocol, I could not attend due to pressure from TDP. Jagan Mohan Reddy is pro-poor and spent more than Rs 2 lakh towards welfare schemes. I have decided to work with Jagan Mohan Reddy and join the party after my resignation is accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker,” he said.

The MP said that he was committed to the development of Vijayawada city and worked hard for the development of airport. He criticised that Chandrababu Naidu had failed to spend even Rs 100 crore for development of Vijayawada since 2013. Naidu is focused more on Amaravati, though he sought development of Vijayawada and Guntur. “I never asked Naidu MP ticket. For that matter, I have not asked Jagan too,” he said and claimed that 60 per cent of TDP leaders in NTR district will leave the party.

Nani said that Nara Lokesh has no right conduct padayatra. He is not an elected MLA and he cannot participate in his padayatra. Afterall, Lokesh got defeated in Mangalagiri despite using the influence of Chandrababu Naidu and name of NT Rama Rao. Nani said that he had sold his property worth Rs 2,000 crore for the benefit of TDP.