Former PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah to meet CM KCR tomorrow to decide about joining BRS

Hyderabad: After BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Saturday invited former Pradesh Congress Committee President Ponnala Lakshmaiah to join the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led outfit, the veteran politician said he would meet KCR tomorrow and take a decision.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rama Rao said as per the instructions of the party president and Chief Minister KCR, he met Lakshmaiah who had quit the Congress on Friday, and invited him to join the BRS.

"We invited him (Lakshmaiah) to meet CM KCR tomorrow and join the party in Jangoan public meeting to be held on October 16. He agreed to meet the CM," Rama Rao told reporters.

He further said that if Lakshmaiah joins the BRS, he will be well respected.

In a setback to the Telangana Congress ahead of the assembly elections in the state, Lakshmaiah had sent a letter to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge resigning from the party.

In his letter, he alleged that when a group of 50 leaders from the backward classes (BC) in Telangana went to Delhi to request prioritisation for BCs, they were denied even a meeting with AICC leaders, which is an embarrassment for the state that prides itself on self respect.

Rama Rao told the media that several leaders belonging to backward classes have been given appropriate status in the party during the past two decades.

Reacting to the BRS leader's invitation to meet the CM, Lakshmaiah said he would meet KCR tomorrow and inform the public and his followers of the result.

Lakshmaiah's resignation comes as a setback to the Congress which is gearing up to announce its list of candidates for the November 30 assembly polls.