Congress MP won't campaign against brother contesting as BJP candidate

Hyderabad, Oct 17: Congress MP and the party's star campaigner Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Monday made it clear that he will not campaign in the Munugode Assembly constituency where his brother Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy is contesting the by-election as a BJP candidate.

Venkat Reddy made the remarks while addressing reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, the state headquarters of Congress party, after casting his vote in the AICC presidential election.

"There is no need for a home guard like me there. Only SP level leaders will go there," the MP quipped when asked if he would campaign for the Congress party in the by-election.

"A leader said that he will bring the party to power even if 100 cases are booked against him. He will go there. I am an ordinary worker of the Congress party," he said.

Venkat Reddy did not name the leader but he was apparently referring to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy.

The by-election in Munugode, Nalgonda district, is scheduled to be held on November 3. The vacancy arose after Rajagopal Reddy resigned as MLA and also quit Congress party to join the BJP.

There have been speculations for the last several weeks that like his brother, Venkat Reddy would also switch loyalties to the BJP.

A member of Lok Sabha from Bhongir constituency, Venkat Reddy is likely to leave for a foreign tour to skip the by-election. He evaded reply when asked as to when he would be leaving.

Though Venkat Reddy was named as star campaigner by the party's leadership in April, he has been keeping himself away from party activities in Munugode. He skipped Congress meetings, rallies and roadshows in the constituency.

After Rajagopal Reddy's resignation, TPCC chief Revanth Reddy had lashed out at him and also made certain remarks against his brother Venkat Reddy. Revanth Reddy's supporter Addanki Dayakar had made a bitter attack on the MP and made ahome guard' and abartender' jibes.

Revanth Reddy had later apologised to Venkat Reddy and asked the party disciplinary committee to take necessary actions against Dayakar for his comments.

Venkat Reddy had criticized the party's central leadership over the appointment of Revanth Reddy as TPCC chief in June last year. Venkat Reddy, who was also one of the aspirants for the post, made serious allegations against some central leaders of the party and had vowed not to step into state party headquarters Gandhi Bhavan.

The Bhongir MP, however, had later started participating in party activities and was seen with Revanth Reddy on a few occasions.