Has Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao played a self-goal in his attempt to target the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership at the Centre in the alleged attempt to poach four BRS MLAs?
The answer seems to be yes, if the debate going on in the political circles is keenly observed.
The BRS leadership definitely has not expected the turn of events in the case – the Telangana high court entrusting the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate questioning complainant MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy.
On Wednesday, the Telangana high court refused to grant stay on the ED probe into the MLAs’ poaching case.
It turned down a petition filed by Rohit Reddy seeking interim order to stall the ED summons to him for questioning on December 30.
The court refused to interfere in the probe by ED and said let the ED do it duty based on the evidences gathered so far.
Senior lawyer and YSR Congress party MP S Niranjan Reddy, who argued in favour of Rohit Reddy, brought to the notice of the court that the accused had offered Rs 100 crore to the BRS MLA.
“It was just an offer, but had not given any money. Since there was no monetary transaction, how can the ED suspect money laundering in the case?” he asked.
The high court asked the Enforcement Directorate to file a counter and posted the case to January 5.
By saying that there was no monetary transaction, Rohit Reddy diluted the entire case.
“This is nothing but a self-goal. When the money was not given at all, how can the government file a case before the Anti-Corruption Bureau court, based on just an offer from a non-serious person?” a BJP leader asked.
The BRS MLAs’ statement clearly indicated that chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was only trying to gain political mileage by slinging mud at the BJP by declaring before the media that the BJP tried to dislodge his government.
“Where is the money? Who offered it? From which account? All these questions will definitely come up before the court. Without disclosing anything on payment of money, how can the police book an ACB case against three unknown persons claiming close to the BJP leaders?” he asked.