Konda couple to bid adieu to TRS?

Warangal: Konda couple, MLA Konda Surekha and her husband MLC Konda Muralidhar Rao, have once again become the hot topic of discussion in the political circles here.

The couple, who by means of their usual tenacity managed shifting their political allegiance and still retained their hold on district politics, is said to be getting ready for another swing. Rumours are rife here about the couple’s reported plans to join their home turf, Congress.

It was said that for the past several months, the MLA and the MLC were holding parleys with top Congress leaders regarding their future course of action. Nonetheless, as it is a practice for the politicos, the couple at a programme here on Tuesday, denied any such thing happening.

According to those closely associated with the couple, there is more than one reason for them to quit TRS, which they embraced ahead of 2014 Assembly elections facing serious opposition from the party ranks and Telangana activists.

Surekha, who was governing council member in YSR Congress Party, bid adieu to the party in July 2013 and joined TRS in March 2014. Subsequently, she got Warangal (East) Assembly ticket and won the seat. And after some time, things changed for the couple, the stay in TRS turned uncomfortable for the couple.

Surekha failed to get a place in KCR cabinet and on most of the occasions, the couple remained aloof from the party activities, even when the CM was the guest. The couple’s archenemy, Palakurthy MLA E Dayakar Rao’s brother Errabelli Pradeep Rao has been creating trouble by organising party programmes on his own and keeping the couple away, reportedly at the behest of the party high command.

In last October, Surekha openly hit at Pradeep Rao finding fault with his claims on getting ticket to contest in next elections from Warangal East. On the other hand, two other rivals Mayor N Narender and ex-minister Baswaraju Saraiah, who joined TRS from Congress, of late, are joining hands against the couple.

One of the major reasons for Konda couple’s reported decision to walk out of TRS was the party bosses are not keen to offer ticket to either Surekha or Muralidhar Rao in the next elections, because of their close proximity to Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, through whom they joined the party.

Indicating the party’s mood, IT Minister K Taraka Rama Rao, at a programme at Mahabubabad on April 4 referred to ‘Manukota Prathighatana’, describing it as an iconic protest staged at Mahabubabad opposing YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy’ tour to the district in May 2010.

It was for the first time any leader of the party making a reference to the incident after the couple joined the TRS. Until then all in the TRS have conveniently have forgotten the incident, which they hitherto used to glorify.

“In politics if the leaders say they are not changing their party, it means yes. The Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari, MLAs Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Ch Dharma Reddy and many others said so. The Konda couple may soon be embracing Congress,” a senior TRS leader told The Hans India.