Telangana Congress leader Shashidhar Reddy rubbishes reports of him

Senior Congress leader in Telangana Marri Shashidhar Reddy Tuesday dismissed reports that he might join BJP, alleging that it appeared to be a conspiracy by the saffron party to tarnish his image. He also said it was impossible for a Gandhian like him to ever join hands with "those who inherited Godse's legacy".

Reddy, son of former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh late Marri Channa Reddy, in a statement here, said there had been reports during the last several days which indicated he might join BJP. This appeared to be part of a conspiracy to tarnish his image and erode his political credibility by "rumour mongering and spreading falsehood for which the BJP is well known for", he alleged.

Shashidhar Reddy, a former MLA, claimed he was a staunch Gandhian and he who would never compromise on the "principles and ideology of secularism." He said he inherited such principles, politically from Congress, and personally from his father. "For a Gandhian like me, joining hands with those who have inherited Godse's legacy is absolutely impossible," said Shashidhar Reddy, also a former vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).