Hyderabad, March 24 (IANS) Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mahesh Kumar Goud, met senior Congress leader and former minister T. Jeevan Reddy, in Jagtial on Tuesday to persuade him to withdraw his decision to quit the party.

Mahesh Kumar Goud said he requested Jeevan Reddy not to resign from the party.

The TPCC chief told media persons that Jeevan Reddy has a long political career and vast experience and TPCC and AICC can’t let him go.

He said Jeevan Reddy felt hurt due to some decisions taken by the party. He urged the senior leader to reconsider his decision.

The ruling party has been making efforts for the last couple of days to dissuade Jeevan Reddy from quitting the party. Two days ago, state minister D. Sridhar Babu met him.

Jeevan Reddy on Sunday decided to resign from the Congress, ending his nearly four-decade long association with the party.

He attributed his decision to what he called ‘growing interference’ of the ‘defected’ MLAs in party affairs. He also warned that the impact of defections in Telangana will dent the image of the Congress at the national level.

“Respect is above everything and in its absence, there is no meaning in continuing in politics,” he said.

Jeevan Reddy accused Jagtial MLA, M. Sanjay Kumar, of undermining the interests of the loyal Congress cadre in the district. He alleged that loyal Congress workers, who brought the party to power by toiling hard, were neglected.

In an open letter addressed to the Congress cadre, Jeevan Reddy stated that it has become difficult to continue with the Congress party amid insults and mental agony. “You are invited to the meeting slated to be held in Jagtial town on March 25 to give your suggestions for deciding the future course of action,” he wrote.

Jeevan Reddy has been locked in a bitter fight with Sanjay Kumar, who is one of the 10 MLAs of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) who switched loyalties to the Congress party in 2024.

Jeevan Reddy, who was defeated by Sanjay Kumar in the Jagtial constituency in the 2023 elections, has openly challenged the party leadership for inducting him into the party.

The Telangana Assembly Speaker has dismissed petitions for disqualification of all 10 MLAs.

Recently the infighting in Congress party in Jagtial district came into the open when Jeevan Reddy expressed anger over allotment of more party tickets for municipal elections to Sanjay Kumar’s group.

–IANS

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