It’s official now: Malla Reddy joins TRS

Hyderabad: Finally, Telangana Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP from Malkajgiri, Nalla Malla Reddy switched loyalty to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday. Reddy joined the ruling TRS in the presence of its supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao at his camp office here.

Chandrashekar Rao welcomed Malla Reddy with a traditional ‘pink’ shawl into the party, while other top leaders of the party including Finance Minister Eatala Rajender, Transport Minister Mahender Reddy and others congratulated him.

It is believed that the Chief Minister offered all help to Malla Reddy to develop his segment. Later Malla Reddy announced that the flagship programmes like double bedroom houses to the poor, Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha and other welfare schemes launched by the TRS government attracted him very much to get into the TRS. “I will work under the leadership of the Chief Minister to make the State a ‘golden Telangana’,” he vowed.

However, critics are of the opinion that Malla Reddy, who owns a few engineering colleges and a medical college in the twin cities and Ranga Reddy district had to take a decision of late, to protect his ‘business’ interests, to quit TDP to join the pink party. It is said that known as the staunch follower of TDP boss and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Malla Reddy had to quit the party with no other option and go with the TRS for transforming Telangana into a golden State and to develop his own constituency.

It is a known fact that Malla Reddy said several times that he would not quit his parent party which gave him political life. However, after officially joining the TRS, Malla Reddy said that two Telugu Chief Ministers K Chandrashekar Rao and Chandrababu Naidu had great vision for their respective States’ development and that he was indebted to Chandrababu Naidu for his political career.