Chevella Congress candidate Konda Vishweshwer Reddy said a section of media had carried fake news linking him with an irrelevant case of cash seizure and sought immediate action against the police officer who spread the rumour that they had arrested a relative of his with a cash of ₹15 crore.
Speaking to the media after representing to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here, Mr. Reddy said he would file a defamation case against the people involved in the episode. He alleged that news channels, at the instance of police and ruling TRS party, ran flash news about the seizure of ₹15 crore. “This is highly intolerable. On the directions of some TRS leaders, a few police officials have given the wrong information to the media and the Election Commission should take a serious note of this and ensure that stern action is taken against all those involved in it,” he said. Mr. Reddy clarified that the person whose name was used in the news item has worked with him on patents and other legal cases. “They claim he is related to me, which is not true. He had a family wedding and was found in a mall with his children and wife. He was carrying less than ₹10 lakh for which he had declared sources,” he said. AICC spokesperson Dasoju Sravan alleged that the ruling TRS has stooped to a new low and has been targeting the Congress candidates fearing that it might face a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Congress leaders G. Niranjan and M. Kondanda Reddy were also present.