Hyderabad: TPCC working president and senior Congress leader T Jagga Reddy strongly refuted allegations made by BRS MLC K Kavitha that he switched from TRS to Congress due to anger towards the then minister T Harish Rao.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Jagga Reddy termed Kavitha’s remarks as “false propaganda” and clarified the real reasons behind his political move.

He asserted that his decision to join Congress was influenced by former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), not by any personal rivalry. “YSR liked my style of politics and sent a message through my friend Kusuma Kumar. He promised development for Sangareddy, including an IIT and a four-lane highway. That was the reason I joined Congress,” he said. He recalled how YSR announced the IIT at Kandi after land acquisition was completed with fair compensation to farmers. “At that time, I didn’t even know what an IIT was,” he added.

Rejecting Kavitha’s claim, the Congress leader said, “Harish Rao has no connection to my leaving TRS. Nor was he the reason. Our politics is different. Harish’s politics is backstabbing politics, while mine is direct attack politics. Strategy and counter-strategy are common in politics, and in the undivided Medak district, Harish from BRS and I from Congress will continue to clash. That won’t stop, and people know this.”

He criticized Kavitha for spreading misinformation on social media. “Kavitha became a leader because she is KCR’s daughter. I rose through my own efforts. Why drag us into your internal conflicts?” he questioned. He also reminded that even KCR and Chandrababu Naidu had left Congress earlier, calling the party “a river that merged into the ocean.”

On his rivalry with Harish Rao, Jagga Reddy admitted that political conflict is inevitable. “When I organized a Rahul Gandhi meeting in Sangareddy, KCR scolded Harish. Later, Harish tried to defeat me in elections. But both of us are workaholics, and that’s why we are visible in politics,” he said. Jagga Reddy urged Kavitha’s social media team not to repeat false statements. “I didn’t join Congress out of anger. I joined because YSR promised development. Kavitha doesn’t know the basics of politics. I will reveal more details in May,” he hinted, adding that he remains committed to his political strategy.