TRS Leaders Revolt Against D Srinivas, MP May Be Axed

TRS Rajya Sabha member D Srinivas is likely to be shown the door by the ruling party for alleged anti-party activities.

A PCC President in united Andhra Pradesh, Srinivas, though made an MLC in Telangana by the Congress after a loss in the 2014 Assembly elections, defected to the TRS and became a Rajya Sabha member. However ever since he joined the pink party he seemed to have been sidelined, resulting in him sulking and keeping himself away from the party activities.

Meanwhile his son joined the BJP and has been busy mobilising cadre in Nizamabad district, which is represented by Chief Minster K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha in the Lok Sabha.

The district leaders have been unhappy with the induction of Srinivas into the TRS, and his son joining the BJP seemed to have added fuel to the fire as the latter has been contemplating contesting the Lok Sabha constituency as a nominee of the saffron party. The rumblings in the pink party concerning Srinivas seemed to have irked KCR, who reportedly expressed his unhappiness in party meetings, especially on receiving complaints that the former Congress leader was hobnobbing with Telangana Congress leaders to jump back into his parent party.

In a calculated move, the MP, MLAs and MLC of the TRS of Nizamabad district held a meeting in the party office of Kavitha and passed a resolution demanding the suspension of Srinivas for alleged anti-party activities. A letter seemed to have been submitted by these leaders to the Chief Minister wherein the alleged anti-party actions of Srinivas were highlighted.

The TRS leaders in their representation to KCR pointed out that the ruling party had gained nothing with the induction of Srinivas into the party, and that more harm than good was being done to the party by his activities. Kavitha said that the TRS leadership would not hesitate to take disciplinary action anyone harming the interests of the party.

In the meantime Srinivas, who is currently in New Delhi, is reportedly in constant touch with the Congress leadership. Srinivas, as a PCC President in united AP, had earned the appreciation and confidence of many central Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi. At a time when the Congress in Telangana is making all-out efforts to regain its strength and waging a relentless war against the TRS government, the Congress leadership is unlikely to hesitate to utilize the services of Srinivas, giving significance to Srinivas sitting in Delhi.

Also, at a time when KCR is actively implementing "Operation Akarshan" again to encourage defections from the opposition parties, the Congress leadership would only be too happy to pay him back in the same coin by getting Srinivas to jump ship, especially after the TRS has succeeded in weaning away senior Congress leader Danam Nagender just a few days back.

Against this background, speculation is rife that the TRS leadership will use the axe against Srinivas.