Former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh N Kiran Kumar Reddy formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, April 7 in New Delhi, in the presence of senior party leaders. Kiran Kumar Reddy had served as the CM of Andhra Pradesh between 2010 and 2014. In 2014, he resigned as Chief Minister, protesting against the bifurcation of the state.
Earlier on March 11, Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from primary membership of the Congress party, through a resignation letter addressed to the party chief, Mallikarjun Kharge. Kiran Kumar Reddy had quit Congress at the time of the state bifurcation, as he differed with the party’s central leadership stand and strongly opposed the bifurcation. He then launched his own regional outfit named Jai Samaikyandhra Party, but was unable to make any significant electoral gains. He returned to the Congress in 2018 but had remained largely inactive.
Speaking about his decision to join the BJP, Kiran Kumar Reddy said, “My family’s association with Congress started way back in 1952, and continued for over 60 years. My father [Amaranath Reddy] and I have been Congress MLAs multiple times. I never imagined that I would have to leave Congress.”
#WATCH | "I had never imagined that I'll have to leave Congress...There is a saying- 'My king is very intelligent, he doesn't think on his own, doesn't listens to anyone's advice', "says former Congress leader Kiran Kumar Reddy on joining BJP in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/8s43F09WxK
— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2023
The former CM attributed his decision to “bad decisions'' that the Congress was taking, which was “damaging all the states.” He further accused the Congress high command of remaining distant from the public, and failing to consider the opinions of party leaders. He further alleged that Congress leadership wanted power but didn’t want to work hard or take up responsibility.
Kiran Kumar reportedly felt sidelined in the Congress, as his repeated requests for a better position in the party were ignored. He had remained inactive during the 2019 General Elections, and refrained from participating in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
As a party of its ‘Mission South’ strategy, the BJP party is looking to expand in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is a four-time MLA from Annamayya district, will help the BJP strengthen its base in the Rayalaseema region.