Coming from a family of eminent personalities fighting for a separate state, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy will be the latest bigwig to join the TRS in the party’s fight for a separate Telangana.
“Anyone who wants to fight for Telangana statehood there is no option other than to join the TRS,” says the 53-years-old who will be joining the party on June 9 at a huge public meeting at Chevella in Rangareddy district.
Reddy’s father K. Madhava Reddy was Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High court and his grand father was noted freedom fighter and Telangana leader K.V. Ranga Reddy. Former Chief Minister Marri Chenna Reddy was Ranga Reddy’s son-in-law.
“My family members including my wife Sangeetha Reddy — a director at Apollo Hospitals — think that I will spoil my life by joining politics. In fact, my grand father late K.V. Ranga Reddy had told the family not to join politics.”
“I am rich. I can eat whatever I want, but if a guy next door is suffering from hunger how can I eat?” Reddy questions, adding, “The people of Telangana depend on Seemandhra leaders for everything including water. The Telangana people want self-respect. It will only be possible when a Telangana state is formed.”
Also, for the past six years Reddy has been working towards a Telangana state under the banner of the Progressive Telangana Foundation. About his reasons for joining TRS, Reddy, who will contest from the Chevella Lok Sabha constituency in the forthcoming general elections, says, “Of course the BJP is also fighting for Telangana, but the Telangana people won’t believe it because the state BJP unit is in the hands of M. Venkaiah Naidu who is a Seemandhra leader. I have many friends in the BJP. We had asked the BJP to constitute separate units for Telangana and Seemandhra, but they did not agree.”
“The formation of Telangana is not in the hands of the BJP, but the formation of a Telangana BJP unit is in its hands; for this the BJP is not ready, then who will believe the BJP?” he asks. “Yadayya, who had immolated himself for Telangana was admitted to the Apollo Hospital. Doctors told me that it would be difficult for him to survive, but I was shocked when I saw him talking with a smile on his face, even though he was in a critical stage,” said Reddy.
“Recently a person from his village Peda Mangalaram in Ranga Reddy district also committed suicide for the Telangana cause. After that incident, I was not able to eat for days. Following that, I came to the conclusion that only formation of a Telangana state would solve all these problems. So, in spite of my family members’ objections, I decided to join politics,” he adds.
SACRIFICES FOR A CAUSE
“I am sacrificing my interests in sports; but now I will only concentrate on achieving a Telangana state,” says Vishweshawar Reddy who is not only an educationist but a sportsperson too. “Personally I like outdoor sports like mountaineering and skiing, I love adventure sports. I have 20 boats, we are training youths in boating,” he says, adding, “In 2010, when Kurnool town was flooded, our boys helped the people. Of course I will lose out on my personal life on joining politics, but I am happy now.”
[With inputs from Deccan Chronicle]