Jeevan Reddy Welcomes Speaker Verdict On But Slams Sanjay

Congress senior leader and former MLC Jeevan Reddy today welcomed the Assembly Speaker's verdict dismissing the disqualification petition against Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar, while still launching a sharp counterattack on his political rival.

Speaking to the media, Reddy said that he welcomed both the Speaker's ruling and Sanjay's statement reaffirming his loyalty to the BRS. However, he questioned Sanjay's intentions and accused him of interfering in the Congress' internal affairs.

"After the Speaker's verdict, Sanjay should behave properly. Don't create trouble in my Congress party. Conduct your politics within the BRS," Jeevan Reddy said.

He also asked what development Sanjay had delivered over the past two years while working alongside Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Political tensions between Jeevan Reddy and Sanjay Kumar have been simmering for over a year and have intensified during the ongoing municipal election campaiging. The rift deepened after the party high command reportedly allotted 29 wards to Sanjay's faction and 21 wards to that of Jeevan in Jagtial municipality, fuelling discontent among that latter's supporters.

Earlier in the day, Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar had dismissed the disqualification petition filed by BRS leader Jagadish Reddy against Sanjay, stating that there was no conclusive evidence to prove that Sanjay had switched parties.

Responding to the verdict, Sanjay reiterated that he remained a BRS MLA elected on the party's ticket. "I am a BRS party MLA. I won on a BRS ticket, and I contribute Rs 5,000 per month from my salary to the party," he said.

He added that he had submitted an affidavit confirming his allegiance to the BRS, and that he would support the party if it introduced Bills in the Assembly and issued a whip. He also said that he would campaign for independent candidates in the municipal elections to avoid harming the Congress-backed candidates aligned with him.

Sanjay also maintained that the development of Jagtial remained his top priority.