Hyderabad: Union Minister Kishan Reddy criticised the Congress and BRS over defections and said both parties should stop using them for political interests. He made the remarks after the Telangana High Court verdict concerning MLA Danam Nagender.
Calling the verdict a setback for Congress and BRS, Kishan Reddy said both parties should stop encouraging what he described as unconstitutional defections. He also recalled the role of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in encouraging defections.
Later, former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao followed the same approach, he alleged. Kishan Reddy cited the induction of Sabitha Indra Reddy and Talasani Srinivas Yadav into the TRS government as examples.
The Union minister further alleged that the Congress government was also encouraging defections. He questioned why BRS leaders were celebrating the verdict and distributing sweets without considering their own record on the issue.
Kishan Reddy questions Danam Nagender case handling
Kishan Reddy questioned the delay in deciding the disqualification petition against Danam Nagender. He asked why the Assembly Speaker had kept the petition pending and later rejected it.
According to Kishan Reddy, the court verdict was justified because Nagender contested on a Congress ticket without resigning as an MLA. The court held that his legislative membership stood cancelled from the day he filed his nomination, he said.
People across Telangana had welcomed the verdict, Kishan Reddy claimed. He also accused Congress and BRS of being family-run parties and alleged that they had ignored the people’s mandate while engaging in corruption.
Comparing the conduct of leaders from both parties, Kishan Reddy alleged that they continued to engage in political confrontations. He further accused KCR and Revanth Reddy of acting without concern for Telangana’s future after their respective political terms.
The Union minister also criticised the state government over alleged corruption. He said businesses previously needed KTR’s approval and now required Revanth Reddy’s approval. According to him, the present government had created a new system of political control.
Kishan Reddy demanded an explanation for the lack of action against alleged corruption under the Congress government. He also alleged that the government had failed to implement its promises to unemployed people and the public.
Congress and BRS were staging political disputes to divert public attention, he alleged. Kishan Reddy challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to explain how a BRS MLA received a Congress MP ticket.
He appealed to people in Telangana to oppose what he described as unconstitutional and corrupt governance. The BJP was fully prepared for the Khairatabad by-election, Kishan Reddy said.
Although Khairatabad falls within his Lok Sabha constituency, the party leadership would decide the BJP candidate, he added.