With 3 of its MLAs (One of them is a former minister) switching over to TRS party, the Congress leadership started damage control operations by gifting highend SUVs to young Telangana Congress MLAs to see that they too do not jump the fence.

Sources told that 15 Telangana Congress MLAs were the benefactors as each one of them was gifted a Toyota Fortuner sports utility vehicle, costing a whopping Rs 25 lakh each. The desperation in the Congress camp was evident as the young legislators were presented the premium SUVs a few days back. Some of the MLAs had threatened to quit in support of the separate Telangana demand. It is already known that on Sunday, former minister Jupalli Krishna Rao, MLAs T Rajaiah and Somarapu Satyanarayana resigned from the primary membership of Congress and joined KCR's Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Among those who became richer with 'Fortuner SUVs' were Alair, Devarakonda, Shadnagar, Husnabad, Manakondur, Mahabubabad, Wardhannapet, Bhoopalapally, Pinapaka, Medchal, Nakrekal and Alampoor MLAs. Sources said Alampoor and Nakrekal legislators refused to take possession of the vehicles as they were worried about the backlash from their followers and Telangana activists if they were to accept the gift. After receiving the Fortuners, some of the MLAs had a closed-door meeting in a hotel in Hyderabad and expressed their wish to tone down the Telangana demandfor the time being.