Gutha, G Vivek, G Vinod, CPI's Ravindra Joining TRS

In yet another shock to the Congress in Telangana, some of its seniormost leaders of the region are set to join the ruling TRS on June 15.

Citing internal squabbles in the Congress and for greener pastures, senior Congress leaders including MP Gutha Sukhender Reddy, former MP G Vivekanand, former minister G Vinod and MLA from Miryalaguda Bhaskar Rao are switching loyalties to the TRS in two days.

CPI MLA from Devarakonda Ravindra Kumar is defecting to the Party, too.

It being an auspicious day, they are joining the TRS on June 15, it is learnt.

After a meeting at Vivekanand's residence, at a joint media conference, Gutha Sukhender Reddy expressed pain in quitting the Congress and hastened to thank AICC chief Sonia Gandhi for giving him a ticket for contesting for the Lok Sabha. Citing internal squabbles within the Congress as the reason for their decision to quit, Gutha said that they had all decided to join the ruling Party for the development of the State.

Gutha was one of the two Congress leaders who managed to win Lok Sabha seats in 2014 despite the TRS wave. He said that he was ready to resign from the MP post and join the TRS to support KCR in the completion of the irrigation projects and power plants and help him effectively implement all the welfare programs.

Vivek also sung a similar tune. He said that despite sensing defeat he fought the 2014 general elections on a Congress ticket. "From the TRS we went back to the Congress on the promise of statehood, and now for the State's development we are joining the TRS again," he said. "Sonia Gandhi gave statehood to Telangana with a great heart and we are indebted to her for that, but there is no scope in the Congress any more as it is caught in a web of skirmishes and has no future in the 2019 elections, and hence we are quitting the Party since the State's development is paramount for us and it appears possible only under KCR."

Vivek is a son of former union minister late G Venkataswamy fondly known as "Kaka".

Another of Kaka's sons and former minister G Vinod said that to complete the last wishes of his father - the State's development and the welfare of all sections - they were joining the ruling Party.

Lone CPI legislator Ravindra Kumar said that the ruling Party gave Rs 300 crores for the development of his constituency Devarakonda in the Nalgonda district. "Since the ruling party is implementing many welfare scheme, I am joining the TRS to support KCR's development programs," he added.

Meanwhile, some leaders have come out openly to criticize TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy over his style of functioning, while some others have termed the Party's floor leader in the Assembly K Jana Reddy as a 'covert' agent of the TRS.