In another setback to Congress, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here in the national capital on Friday.
Reddy, who served as the last Chief Minister for undivided Andhra Pradesh, joined BJP in the presence of union minister Prahlad Joshi, general secretary Arun Singh and MP K Laxman at a function organized at the party headquarter.
Earlier on March 13, 2023, Reddy sent a letter to the Congress’ national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“Please accept this letter as my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress,” he wrote in a letter.
Reddy became Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister on November 11, 2010, but resigned on March 10, 2014, to protest against the Congress party’s decision to bifurcate the state.
Notably, he even made the assembly pass a resolution opposing the central government’s draft bill on the bifurcation of the state.
The former CM had resigned from the Congress party in 2014 too, to protest against the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and carve out Telangana.
He formed his own party ‘Jai Samaikyandhra’ and even fielded candidates in some constituencies in the 2014 elections.
In 2018, he again rejoined Congress after meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
He also served as assembly speaker from 2009 to 2010 and chief whip between 2004-09 under YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
On Thursday, former Defence minister AK Antony’s son Anil Antony joined BJP (BJP) in Delhi.
Anil Antony joined the BJP in the presence of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan. Kerala BJP chief K Surendran and senior party leaders Tarun Chugh and Anil Baluni were also present at the occasion.
Anil Antony thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his induction into BJP.
The development comes months after Anil Antony, who was a Kerala Congress Social Media Team Coordinator and resigned from all posts of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee in January following the row over BBC’s documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.