The reports that senior Telangana Congress leader from Jagitial and former minister T Jeevan Reddy might resign from the party and join the Bharat Rashtra Samithi seem to have little impact on the party in general and chief minister A Revanth Reddy in particular.
According to party sources, Revanth Reddy, who is presently in Delhi, is learnt to have brought to the notice of the party high command the latest threats from Jeevan Reddy that he would quit the party, rather than compromising with the sitting MLA M Sanjay Kumar.
Apparently, the high command has given a free hand to Revanth Reddy to handle the situation as he deems it fit.
Sources said the chief minister is likely to take it easy, if Jeevan Reddy continues to blackmail the party and quits the party ultimately.
“The party is nothing to lose, if Jeevan Reddy quits the party, as he is more or less a spent force in the party. He is a senior, of course, but his influence is very limited. If he continues in the Congress, there are better chances of him getting good positions. But if he goes into the BRS, he will lose his relevance,” a PCC leader said.
He said Jeevan Reddy has no right to describe Revanth Reddy as a defector from the TDP.
“For that matter, Jeevan Reddy, too, has not been with the Congress right from the beginning. He began his career with the Telugu Desam Party and was part of N T Rama Rao government in 1983 and later continuing in Nadendla Bhaskara Rao’s cabinet,” the PCC leader said.
Jeevan Reddy subsequently joined the Congress, where he remained an influential figure, though not without friction. Notably, he opposed the elevation of Revanth Reddy as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and has been considered a consistent critic of the current state leadership.
So, if Jeevan Reddy joins the BRS now, he will lose his identity, as had happened to former PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who has become insignificant in the BRS.
“Similarly, senior leader like Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who held big positions in the party, had lost relevance after joining the BJP,” the PCC leader said.
Sources said Revanth Reddy wants to adopt a similar ignore-and-sideline strategy towards another rebel leader – Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, who recently convened a meeting of some dissident MLAs.
“If Rajagopal Reddy remains loyal to the Congress, there is a possibility of getting good positions including the cabinet berth in the coming years. But if he continues to act as a rebel, he will be ignored,” party sources said.