Return to Congress, Telangana Dy CM Appeals to Jagan

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has called upon former Congress leaders who left the party over the years to return and work together to strengthen the party and advance its ideology.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave South 2026 in Kochi, Kerala, on Wednesday, Bhatti said he would be happy if former Congress leaders returned to the party fold.

He made a specific appeal to YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

He, however, said his appeal was not restricted to Andhra Pradesh and that all leaders who had left the Congress across the country should consider returning and contributing to the party’s strengthening.

Bhatti recalled his association with former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), saying that he had worked with YSR but had not worked with his son, Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Referring to Jagan’s decision to leave the Congress after YSR’s death and subsequently establish the YSR Congress Party in 2011, Bhatti said the return of leaders who had left the Congress could help strengthen the organisation.

Bhatti’s remarks assume significance against the backdrop of several prominent political leaders having left the Congress over the decades to establish separate political organisations.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left the Congress in 1997 and subsequently established the Trinamool Congress in 1998.

In 1999, Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar broke away from the Congress and formed the Nationalist Congress Party.

Following YSR’s death in 2009, Jagan Mohan Reddy eventually left the Congress and went on to establish the YSR Congress Party in 2011.

Bhatti’s call for former Congress leaders to return therefore comes against the broader backdrop of political leaders who moved away from the Congress and established or joined other political formations.

He said the Telangana government was functioning collectively and that important decisions were being taken after discussions among the leadership.

According to Bhatti, the government was pursuing its programmes in accordance with Congress ideology and all leaders were working together.

He also objected to attempts to view his political career and future through the prism of caste. Bhatti said every leader and worker functioning within the Congress should be regarded as part of the party and that his political future or leadership aspirations should not be interpreted merely through caste equations.

He maintained that the Congress government in Telangana was working collectively and that the party’s ideological framework remained the basis for governance.