Congress wants to pay back TRS in its coin, lodges plaint with police

Hyderabad: With the BRS and BJP locked horns over the BRS MLAs' poaching case, the Telangana Congress has launched a political fight demanding an inquiry into the poaching of 12 party legislators by BRS head K Chandrashekar Rao after the 2019 Assembly elections.

A delegation, led by TPCC chief Revanth Reddy, lodged a complaint with the Moinabad police seek an investigation into the poaching of Congress MLAs. The former members of the Indian National Congress were elected as MLAs in December 2018 and subsequently defected to TRS in and around 2019.

He said 2 Congress MLAs – Haripriya Banoth, Patlolla Sabitha Indra Reddy,K Upender Reddy, Devi Reddy Sudheer Reddy, Kantha Rao Rega, Athram Sakku, Chirumarthi Lingaiah, Vanama Venkateshwara Rao, Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy. Jajala Surender, Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy and Rohith Reddy—had switched loyalties to KCR after the Assembly elections.

Soon after winning the 2018 elections, Revanth said, KCR started inducing legislators of other parties. The 12 defected MLAs have gained undue benefits which have been offered and obtained in lieu of them leaving the Congress and joining the TRS. He alleged that the defected MLAs have got money benefit, clearance of pending contract bills, settlement of land disputes and political benefits to their family members.

"It is stated that the modus operandi alleged to have been adopted by the BJP in order to induce the TRS MLAs to join the BJP involved monetary benefits, government civil contracts and other high Central government positions involving monetary benefits, are similar to the modus operandi adopted and benefits offered by TRS and allied accused persons to the former Congress MLAs to lure them to join TRS", the TPCC chief said.

He demanded the investigating agency to probe and unearth the complete criminal conspiracy behind bribing public servants by parties, thereby inducing them to defect.