BRS Working President KT Rama Rao.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Hyderabad: Reacting to the steady stream of MLAs jumping the fence and joining Congress, BRS working president and former minister, K T Rama Rao lashed out at Rahul Gandhi's stand on party defections in Telangana. At least half a dozen of the 39 BRS MLAs and at least eight MLCs have defected to Congress since last year after the grand old party came to power.
Talking to the media in Delhi on Tuesday, KTR recalled Rahul Gandhi's grand promises in the Panch Nyay document to strengthen anti-defection laws, while in Telangana, Congress is engaging in unjust practices.
In a speech at Tukkuguda in Hyderabad, Rahul Gandhi stated that the membership of defectors would be terminated, yet the very same stage had BRS MLAs who had defected to Congress, KT added.
He remarked that Rahul Gandhi's behavior could win him an Oscar. He pointed out that Rahul Gandhi made Congress candidates in Goa take an oath against defections, yet in Karnataka, Haryana, and Maharashtra, Congress MLAs were allegedly bought by the BJP. Now, Congress leaders are circling around BRS MLAs' houses in Telangana.
KTR demanded that the people of the country take note of Rahul Gandhi's behavior, holding a copy of the Constitution in one hand while killing the Constitution on the other. He claimed that with AICC’s approval, more MLAs were planning to defect in Telangana and questioned how Rahul Gandhi would respond.
KTR reminded that current Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy once said that defectors should be stoned to death and called them mad dogs.
KTR questioned who should now be stoned and who the mad dog is, challenging Rahul Gandhi for a response to his questions. He recalled the Supreme Court's significant verdict on a defection case involving a Congress MLA in Manipur and demanded an explanation for the BRS MLA 'purchases' in Telangana while Congress claims to fight against BJP’s defections nationwide.
He cited an allegation by Siddaramaiah in Karnataka that each Congress MLA was offered Rs 50 cr by the BJP and questioned the cost of MLA purchases in Telangana.
KTR said he had been consulting legal and constitutional experts in Delhi for four days seeking justice in party defection issues. He reminded that Danam Nagender, who won on a BRS ticket, later contested as Secunderabad MP on a Congress B-form. He called for immediate action against such blatant defections.
He mentioned filing a petition in the High Court and promised to approach the Supreme Court if justice was not served. He also stated plans to meet the President and lodge complaints, as well as raise the issue in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
He vowed to strengthen anti-defection laws in collaboration with parties affected by the Congress and BJP, advocating for an automatic cancellation of membership upon party switching, as stated in Congress' Panch Nyay document.
KTR criticized the Congress party for betraying Telangana before 2014 despite numerous opportunities given by its people. He stated that the people fought against Congress's injustices to achieve statehood and praised KCR for the state's development over the past decade.
He attributed the recent Congress win to false promises made in the name of "six guarantees in 100 days" and accused Congress of resorting to MLA purchases to escape their 420 promises.
KTR stated that this is just the first step in the fight against Congress's defections and promised more battles in the future.