Rayapati thinks of qutting Congress

GUNTUR: Frustrated over the Congress government in the state ignoring him while appointing the new TTD chairman, Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao is thinking of quitting the party. “I will talk to Congress workers in my constituency on August 28. If they want to be quit the party, I will,” he said.Sambasiva Rao had been lobbying for the post for two years. He made several representations to K Rosaiah when he was the chief minister, met AICC president Sonia Gandhi and claimed that she had promised to consider him while making the appointment to the TDD chairman’s post.Much to his chagrin, the party did not remember him when it made the appointment. “I have nothing against Kanumuri Bapiraju who has been appointed as TTD chairman. My only feeling is that though I have been serving the party for 30 years, the party is not considering me or other seniors whenever crucial appointments are made. Maybe, Lord Venkateswara does not want me at Tirumala.”Rayapati’s grouse against the party leadership is that it had never stood by him while was waging a battle against his collegue and housing minister K Lakshmianarayana.The party let him handle his own affairs when Lakhsminarayana filed a defamation case against him for making an allegation that he was corrupt.According to Rayapati’s confidants, what is hurting their leader is that his political adversary Lakshmianrayan is happy over denial of the TTD chairman’s post to Rayapati.