Speculation Rife Over D Srinivas' Political Future

Veteran politician and TRS Rajya Sabha member Dharmapuri Srinivas had created a flutter in the political corridors of the state by calling on Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently.

Many political pundits predicted that DS would leave the TRS to join the Congress. However, reliable sources from the Congress said that Sonia Gandhi had shown the red light to DS during his meeting with her.

DS has reportedly been lobbying strongly lobbying to join the Congress as his Rajya Sabha term will expire in the next three months. During his meeting with her, DS reportedly told Gandhi that he wanted to end his political career with the grand old party. Gandhi asked the state party incharge Manickam Tagore to look into the issue.

However, DS is facing a lot of opposition at the ground level in the state. The recent comments of BJP MP and DS' son D Aravind against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had angered the state leaders, especially the Nizamabad leaders, a lot, and they are strongly opposing the entry of DS into the party. They told Tagore that the party would not benefit in any manner from DS.

It is being said that Rahul Gandhi had also opposed the entry of DS into the party after agreeing with the opinions of the party leaders.

Also, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other party leaders were originally asked to visit Delhi to hold discussions with the party high command on the issue of the entry of DS into the party. However, the tour was cancelled following the opposition to the entry of DS into the party.

Meanwhile, veteran party leader V Hanumantha Rao criticized DS claiming that he had abandoned the party in its lows after enjoying all kinds of posts, and that he was leaving the TRS now as he was not sure of getting any post in the ruling party.

He said that he (VHR) was receiving calls from the party leaders of Nizamabad opposing the entry of DS into the party.

"The party leaders from Nizamabad are demanding that the son of DS should also join the Congress. I too feel the same. If DS thinks that he has corrected all his past mistakes, he should join the party along with his son," VHR said.