Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Kiran Kumar Reddy joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday.
Reddy had resigned from the Congress on March 12 citing differences with the party leadership. He was the last chief minister of Andhra Pradesh before the state was bifurcated in 2014 and Telangana was carved out.
At a press briefing after joining the BJP, Reddy said he had never imagined that he would leave the Congress. He blamed the top leadership of the party for its performance in state elections.
“They don’t interact with the people, they don’t take opinions of the leaders,” he said. “...The sad part is they are not interested in doing any course correction. If a mistake has been made, it should be acknowledged and efforts should be made to correct it. There is no such thing in Congress.”
Reddy said that the BJP on the other hand has taken bold decisions in the interest of the nation. “I am motivated by the vision and commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
Reddy’s resignation comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh next year, where the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress and the Opposition Telugu Desam Party are vying for leadership.
Reddy is the second Congress leader to join the BJP this week. On Thursday, former Congress leader Anil Antony also joined the saffron party. Antony had quit the Congress in January days after criticising the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
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