Former Andhra minister returns to Congress fold

Former Andhra Pradesh minister Konda Surekha, who recently quit the YSR Congress party to protest its u-turn over Telangana issue, Wednesday re-joined the Congress.

Surekha and her husband and former legislator Konda Murali joined the Congress party in New Delhi in the presence of party general secretary Digvijaya Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Speaking on the occasion, Surekha said she was confident the Congress would carve out separate Telangana state.

K. Mahender Reddy, another YSR Congress leader, also joined the Congress party.

Surekha and her husband quit YSR Congress last month after all its 17 legislators resigned from the assembly to protest Congress party's decision to carve out Telangana state. They alleged that YSR Congress had gone back on its word to respect the sentiments of Telangana people.

Surekha had resigned from the cabinet after the Congress leadership refused to make Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy the chief minister following the death of his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash in 2009. She had also quit Congress to join the YSR Congress floated by Jaganmohan Reddy in 2010.