Former MLA Akula Rajender, former MLC Magam Ranga Reddy, and former DCCB chairman Laxma Reddy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, in the presence of Union Minister and Telangana BJP unit president G Kishan Reddy. According to media reports, the leaders who joined the party today met BJP national vice-president DK Aruna earlier on Tuesday.
According to media reports, Jaipal Reddy, son of former Medak MP Mogaligundla Baga Reddy, was expected to join the BJP today.
MLA Akula Rajender and Jaipal Reddy are vying for the Zaheerabad Lok Sabha segment, as reported by the New Indian Express. Rajender, who parted ways with the grand old party in 2021, has expressed his interest in contesting from the same constituency.
Earlier on Thursday, Reddy launched a scathing attack on the BRS government, accusing it of failing to fulfil promises such as the waiver of farmers' loans and the provision of free fertilisers. Speaking at the launch of a PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendra (PMKSK) in the region, he chastised the BRS government for unfairly ignoring the implementation of the crop insurance scheme, which affects farmers.
The BRS government has made no secret of its desire to make Telangana the 'seed bowl of India.' However, Reddy claimed that the state is dealing with a significant problem with phoney seeds. He demanded that the government reveal the number of police cases filed to address the issue of phoney seeds. Reddy, who is currently the Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, expressed concern about the state's approach to dealing with this issue.
"What happened to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's announcement about providing free fertilisers to farmers," Reddy asked. "Why aren't you giving free fertiliser to farmers?" According to him, "the NDA government at the Centre provides a significant subsidy on a bag of urea," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
He further claimed that the BRS government has not fulfilled the farm loan waiver, and that farmers are suffering because they are unable to obtain crop loans.