Venkataswamy’s sons join Congress, Rayapati in TDP net

Padapalli Lok Sabha member G Vivekananda and his brother and former minister G Vinod broke away from the TRS and returned to the Congress fold on Monday even as the TDP posted a prize catch with Rayapati Sambasiva Rao embracing it.

The two sons of former Union Minister G Venkataswamy – who had joined the TRS in June last year – noted that the Congress fulfilled its promise of creating a separate state of Telangana.

“We thought that Telangana would be formed faster if we join TRS and fight for it. As Sonia Gandhi has given Telangana, people are asking us to return to our party Congress. It is like home coming,” Vivekananda told reporters.

Meanwhile, expelled Congress MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao along with his brother Srinivas today joined the Telugu Desam Party.

Rao said people were looking forward to a strong and honest administrator like N Chandrababu Naidu, former chief minister and TDP supremo, to govern the state.

The Guntur Lok Sabha member was expelled along with five other MPs by the Congress after they moved a no-confidence motion against the ruling party, protesting the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh last month.

The Congress has lost considerable ground in Seemandhra (residuary Andhra Pradesh) with several of its legislators either joining TDP or YSR Congress Party as the grand old outfit is being dubbed by other parties as “villain of the piece” for its strident stance in creating Telangana state.

–PTI