Never thought would leave Congress: Kiran Reddy after joining BJP

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who quit the Congress party last month, joined the BJP on Friday.

Reddy joined the saffron party in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and other prominent party leaders at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Joshi said that Reddy's clean image would help BJP in Andhra Pradesh.

"Many members of Kiran Kumar Reddy's family were in Congress. When I met him some time ago, he told me that he was influenced by PM Modi. Today, he is taking a big leap and joining the BJP. He will strengthen our fight against corruption because his image as MLA and minister has been very clean. It will be a big boost for BJP in Andhra Pradesh," ANI quoted Joshi in a tweet.

On his turn, Reddy said, "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'."

The senior Congress leader had sent his one-line resignation letter to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge in March. In a letter dated March 11 and addressed to Kharge, Reddy had written, "Please accept this letter as my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress."

It has to be noted that he was the last Chief Minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Opposing the decision of Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation, Kiran Kumar resigned from the Congress party in 2014 as a mark of protest against the then UPA government. He floated his own party called 'Jai Samaikyandhra'.

He had fielded candidates from some constituencies but his party failed to make any impact. In 2018, he rejoined Congress.

Today's development comes only a day after another senior Congress leader and party veteran A.K. Antony's son Anil K. Antony, who quit the party in January this year, joined the BJP.