The Congress has challenged Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to hold fresh elections in all the 12 constituencies represented by the Congress MLAs who defected to the TRS and were officially merged with the ruling party on Thursday. At a press conference here, AICC in-charge for Telangana R.C. Khuntia said MLAs could join any party they wished to, but should first resign from the party they were elected from. He asked KCR to direct the MLAs to resign and seek fresh mandate.
Mr. Khuntia, who addressed the media along with TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC working president Kusum Kumar and senior leader Shabbir Ali, criticised Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy for merging the Congress MLAs when their disqualification notices were pending with him.
The Speaker’s action was “disgraceful and has brought disgrace to the constitutional post”, he said. This was all the more painful when the disqualification petitions were coming up before the court and set to be heard on June 11.
Mr. Khuntia said all the 12 MLAs did not join on a single day, but on different dates as per the statements given by the MLAs themselves: Rega Kantha Rao and Athram Sakku joined TRS on March 2 followed by Chirumarthi Lingaiah (March 10), Haripriya Banoth (March 11), Patlolla Sabitha Indra Reddy (March 13), Kandala Upender Reddy (March 14), Devi Reddy Sudheer Reddy (March 15), Vanama Venkateswara Rao (March 18), Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy (March 20), Jajala Surender (March 27), Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy (April 22) and, finally, Rohith Reddy (June 6).