BRS MLA at civic election meet ticks off Jeevan Reddy

T Jeevan Reddy, a former minister and senior Congress leader, staged a dramatic walkout from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency review meeting on Wednesday. The protest was sparked by the presence of Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar, who was elected on a BRS ticket, at the official Congress strategy session for the upcoming municipal elections.

Speaking to the media following his exit from Gandhi Bhavan, Jeevan Reddy expressed strong displeasure over the inclusion of a BRS legislator in a Congress internal review. He asserted that while the Congress is positioned to win the municipal polls “100 per cent”, the dignity of senior leaders who have spent decades fighting the BRS is being undermined by such invitations.

“How will my honour be protected if a BRS MLA is made to sit beside me? Sanjay Kumar has not even officially joined the Congress. How can he claim to be working with us in the name of development?” Jeevan Reddy questioned. He urged the party leadership to clarify the protocol that allowed a rival party member to participate in a confidential review meeting.

Emphasising his four-decade-long loyalty to the party, Jeevan Reddy clarified that he would never quit the Congress, stating, “Congress means everything to me.” However, he maintained that he could not tolerate programmes that compromise the dignity of the party and the Constitution. He further noted that many Congress activists share his sentiment, having faced “severe atrocities” during the ten-year BRS rule. “Power is not important; protecting constitutional values is more important,” he concluded.