Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Saturday demanded the Congress party to demonstrate that the Congress party practises what it preaches by making two BRS MLAs who defected to resign or face disqualification by the Speaker.
He slammed the apparent hypocrisy of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party regarding their stance on anti-defection assurance in their manifesto.
KTR questioned Rahul Gandhi's sincerity, urging him not to be a hypocrite in his political actions. He demanded transparency from the Congress party regarding their poaching efforts in Telangana and challenged them to adhere to their manifesto promises, particularly their anti-defection assurances.
Highlighting the discrepancy, KTR questioned whether the Congress party's anti-defection assurance, as stated in their manifesto, applies in the state of Telangana. He accused the Congress of preaching one thing while doing the exact opposite by welcoming BRS MLAs into their party while allowing them to retain their posts. He reminded Rahul Gandhi that the AICC has announced the Secunderabad MP seat for Danam Nagender, an elected BRS MLA in Telangana.
In his statement, KTR emphasised the irony of the Congress party's stance, noting their historical association with the "Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram" culture of political defections in India. Despite this, he welcomed the Congress party's proposal to amend the 10th schedule to ensure automatic disqualification of MLAs/MPs if they defect.
However, KTR reiterated that actions speak louder than words, calling on Rahul Gandhi to demonstrate that the Congress party practises what it preaches. He urged Rahul Gandhi to make the defectors resign or face disqualification by the Speaker, thereby proving their commitment to ethical political conduct.
KTR emphasised the need for political integrity and consistency, urging all parties to uphold the principles of democracy and transparency.
Two BRS MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari joined the Congress party recently. While Congress fielded Nagender as its candidate from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, Srihari’s daughter Kavya has been allotted a ticket for the Warangal seat. Kavya, who was named as BRS candidate for Warangal, opted out of the contest and joined Congress with her father.