Hyderabad, Aug 20 : Former Speaker of Telangana Assembly and MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who defected to the ruling Congress from BRS two months ago, has been appointed advisor to the state government.





Srinivas Reddy will serve as an advisor (Agriculture) in the rank and status of Minister of State, said a Government Order issued by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari.



The government has also appointed Gutha Amith Reddy as Chairman of Telangana Dairy Development Co-operative Federation Limited, for two years.



Srinivas Reddy quit Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to join the Congress party on June 21.



Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had personally visited Srinivas Reddy's house to invite him to join the party.



Srinivas Reddy, a prominent leader from Nizamabad district, accepted the invitation and agreed to work under Revanth Reddy's leadership.



The former Speaker had hailed the works undertaken by the Congress government for agriculture, farmers and irrigation projects.



Revanth Reddy assured the former Speaker that the Congress would give him due place. He praised the senior leader for his efforts for the development of agriculture and the welfare of farmers.



Stating that the Congress government is working for farmers' welfare, the Chief Minister had said it would take Srinivas Reddy's suggestions in this regard.



Srinivas Reddy served as minister for agriculture and cooperation in the first BRS government between 2014 and 2018.



Considered close to BRS president and then chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, he was made Speaker after BRS retained power in 2018.



The veteran leader had served as a minister twice in Telugu Desam Party (TDP) governments in united Andhra Pradesh.



In 2011, he quit TDP to join TRS (now BRS) in support of the demand for statehood in Telangana. He was re-elected from Banswada constituency in the by-election the same year.



In the 2023 election, Srinivas Reddy won the Banswada seat for a fifth consecutive term. He was earlier elected from the same constituency on a TDP ticket in 1994 and 1999.



/IANS