NRIs deny they held secret meeting

Mangalagiri: NRI-TDP coordinator in the United States of America Komati Jayaram denied the allegation by YSRCP that the NRIs held a secret meeting at the party headquarters here.

In response to the notice given by the Election Commission following the complaint lodged by YSRCP activist A N N Murthy that the NRIs met secretly at the TDP office, Komati Jayaram said in his reply that the NRI meeting was not a secret one but a public meeting wherein NRI sympathisers gathered to strategise the campaign in favour of the TDP. He pointed out that the meeting was relayed on YouTube for all the viewers without any secrecy.

He said that the speakers in the meeting encouraged the participants to propagate the ideology of the TDP to gain votes of the neutral voters. The participants can use their resources to tour the state instead of seeking support from others as they have the means.

Jayaram recalled that the intention was to propagate the good work done by the TDP during the last four decades and the benefits reaped by so many families through sending their children abroad.

He pointed out that it is a fundamental right to undertaken campaign in favour of any party and as the member of NRI-TDP wing he was motivating his colleagues to work for the party. There were no references of ‘bribe’ or to resort to ‘undue influence’ but it was only a strategy on campaign done in full glare of social media.

Jayaram appealed to the Election Commission to recall the threats given by the YSRCP leaders threatening NRIs with dire consequences and the derisive comments of government advisors which are nothing but provocative threats to the NRI community.

He said that he was a law-abiding citizen and never intended to violate model code. He reiterated that his words were twisted and given weird interpretations. He appealed to the Election Commission to drop further action on the notice.