Munugode MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy has claimed that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was fretting over the former’s ‘courtesy’ meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently and was leaking reports of an impending bypoll to the media.
Speaking to reporters here, the Congress MLA said the Chief Minister was deliberately spreading false information about his resignation using his newspapers and TV channels. If there was a need to switch from his current party to defeat TRS, he would do so but only after consulting people of his constituency, he added.
He also claimed that all the newspapers were highlighting the meeting with Amit Shah as if he would resign soon and Munugode would see a bypoll. “The CM is desperate for a bypoll in Munugode to ensure a win at any cost to lift his sagging image among people,” he claimed.
Mr. Reddy, however, did not reveal whether he would join the Bharatiya Janata Party and resign as Congress MLA, but continued to argue that only BJP had the capacity to defeat the TRS.
The Chief Minister has already started review meetings with Munugode leaders at Pragathi Bhavan even as he was speaking to the media luring them with ‘ill-gotten’ money in the anticipation of a bypoll, he said and added that some sarpanches have revealed funds would be released only if they attended the meeting.
Mr. Reddy said that he had not criticised the Congress in the past three years though he had some reservations about certain decisions of the Congress high command hinting at the appointment of TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy. “Even today I believe the BJP has the capacity to defeat TRS though I am a Congressman,” he said.
Vouching for his admiration for AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi, he said if there was a need to leave Congress party, he would do so and thank the duo for a separate Telangana State. When questioned about not participating in the party’s protests against Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioning Sonia Gandhi despite his respect for her, he commented that “law would take its own course”.
