Former Andhra Pradesh CM Kiran Kumar Reddy joins BJP

Reddy joined the Party in the presence of Union Minister Prahlad Joshi and other senior leaders at Party headquarters in New Delhi.

Welcoming Mr Reddy into the party, Prahlad Joshi said, "The joining of Reddy will strengthen the fight against corruption in the state of Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi."

"Under the leadership of Mr Reddy there were some activities unfolding in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana," he said.

Speaking to the media after joining the party, Reddy thanked BJP President JP Nadda and said, "He will be ready to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi."

"My family's association with the Congress party was almost 60 years and he had never imagined that he would quit Congress," he added.

Reddy added that he is very motivated by the anti-corruption drive by Prime Minister Modi.

"The BJP government has a very clear vision for the country's development particularly for the youth of the country," he said.

Taking a jibe at the Congress leadership, he said, "What has happened is, state after state, due to bad decisions of Congress high command, the party is getting damaged in all states. They don't interact with people.

"They don't take the opinion of the leaders. It is not the story of one state. It is a story throughout the country".

Kiran Kumar had resigned from the Congress party in 2014 too, to protest against the then UPA government's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and carve out Telangana.

He formed his own party 'Jai Samaikyandhra' and even fielded candidates in some constituencies in the 2014 elections.