Leader of Opposition in the Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has challenged Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao to take by-election for Warangal Lok Sabha seat as a referendum and step down if TRS candidate P. Dayakar loses the election.
Shabbir Ali was reacting to the challenge made by Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao whether TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy would quit from his post if Congress candidate Sarve Satyanarayana losses the election in Warangal.
Addressing the media at Warangal DCC office here, Shabbir Ali said Harish Rao was too small to challenge the TPCC chief. He said if KCR makes a similar challenge and agrees to accept Warangal by-poll as referendum, then his party might consider making Uttam Kumar to accept the challenge. Ali listed “failures” of TRS Government during the last 530 days in power.
Shabbir Ali announced that the Congress would lodge a police complaint against Panchayat Raj Minister K. Taraka Ramarao for dubbing Congress candidate Sarve Satyanarayana as an old rupee currency note and tore it by calling it a “chellani rupayee” (fake/obsolete note). He said tearing off a currency note is an offence and KTR committed it in full public view. He pointed out that despite being a former Union Minister, Sarve Satyanarayana spoke on Telangana issue in the Lok Sabha.
Later, along with former Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, Shabbir Ali visited the family of Shruti, who was killed in an alleged encounter with the police. He assured Shruti’s mother that the Congress would fight against the State Government until it orders a CBI probe. He dubbed Shruti’s death in an alleged encounter as a cold-blooded murder. (NSS)