‘TDP Pulled Me From Benz Car to Dokku Car’

TDP leader Jayamangalam Venkataramana switched loyalty to the YCP and has been nominated as the MLC candidate from West Godavari district. The BC leader said that he believed in YCP president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s credo of ‘maata tappanu-madama tippanu’ and hence, joined the party.

At the same time, he squarely blamed TDP president and former CM N. Chandrababu Naidu for pulling down his status from a Benz car to a ‘dokku car’ now. He said Chandrababu Naidu betrayed him. Naidu asked me to file my nomination as the MLA candidate in 2014 when I was hopeful of winning the seat but later asked me to withdraw saying that the TDP was having an alliance with the BJP and that my seat should be left for the BJP candidate.

“I spent a lot of money on not just my constituency but neighbouring constituency. I am a BC but the TDP does not consider all such things. The party leaders identify a wealthy person and try to trap him promising some political position. I started my political career in 1999 and at that time, I had many properties which would be sufficient for my offspring too. The TDP said that they would make me the ZPTC and I agreed. Since then, I had been a ZPTC till 2006. In 2009, I was asked to contest as an MLA and asked to spend both for my constituency and the neighbouring constituency too. The TDP has a strange strategy of fielding BC candidates in the polls but getting them defeated. Somehow, I won the elections in 2009 and in 2014, I expected a majority of 40,000 but had to withdraw my nomination to give way for the BJP candidate. At that time, I was promised MLC seat but Naidu could not keep that promise.”

“It was my sacrifice which helped BJP leader Srinivas become a minister in the state and Venkaiah Naidu become a Union minister. In 2019, I had to sell off more of my land to contest the elections but the TDP men backstabbed me and I was defeated. Somehow, I pulled on till 2023 and this helped me gain the trust of both the BCs and even those belonging to the forward castes. They asked me to contest as an independent candidate if I was not happy with the TDP but in the meantime, Jagan Mohan Reddy came as a godsend.

Jagan sent MP Mithun Reddy and conveyed a message that I would be made an MLC. The CM also promised to elevate me to higher positions in the future, Venkataramana said.

He said that he was attracted to various welfare schemes being implemented by the YCP government. He urged his followers and acolytes to support him and make Jagan Mohan Reddy the CM in 2024 elections.