Hyderabad, March 20: The TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said that the MLAs should submit their resignations to the Deputy Speaker and tender an apology to the Telangana people for such shameless acts if they “continue in the party as ordinary workers”.
Mr Rao said one of the MLAs had admitted to cross voting to politburo members and had sought their pardon. It was clear that out of 14 votes anticipated, the party got only 11 votes and three votes had gone to the Congress.
“The three MLAs indulged in cross-voting. We deliberated on the issue for over 5 hours. We checked and cross checked with party MLAs, codes and the technicalities on voting. The TRS Legislature party too submitted a detailed report. We had no option but to weed them out,” said Mr Rao.
He added, “It’s a painful decision, but we cannot carry black sheep in the interests of the T movement and the aspirations of 4 crore people. The MLAs have to tender an apology to the people and regret their action. We gave a code and it was violated. As leader of the movement, it is my duty to protect the T movement and its purity.”
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The TRS had fielded Mr Mahamood Ali as the party’s nominee to provide a place for a minority candidate but the party was rocked by cross-voting which led to protests across Telangana in which effigies of Mr Rao and the suspected MLAs being burnt. Prior to their suspension, the three MLAs sent in their resignations to their MLA seats to Mr Rao to ensure a “fair trial”. The mood in the party was quite clear and most wanted stringent action against the suspected MLAs.
Even before the politburo meeting began, a visibly-shaken Mr Vidyasagar Rao met Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and submitted his resignation letter for the Assembly seat. He was followed by Mr Ravinder Reddy while Mr Sammaiah faxed his resignation letter.
However, all three MLAs stoutly denied any wrongdoing. They urged Mr Rao to accept their resignations for their MLAs’ seats if they were proved guilty and also assured to face any action. The TRS chief was under tremendous pressure from party men and T-activists to take stringent action against the erring party MLAs after the BJP MLAs, Mr G. Kishan Reddy and Mr Laxminaryana, besides rebel TD MLA, Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy asserted they voted for the TRS.
In fact, Mr Kishan Reddy alleged that while they voted for the TRS candidate as per the party’s request, the TRS MLAs themselves cross-voted. The cross-voting bomb hit the TRS after the party failed to get the anticipated 14 votes: 11 TRS, 2 BJP and one from rebel TD MLA Mr Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. Party leaders admitted in private that the MLAs were suspected to have voted for the Congress candidate, Mr Ranga Reddy.
“I submitted my resignation since it tarnished my image. I have done no wrong. I leave it to Mr Rao to decide. I am passing through difficult times. If the charge is proved, I will take political sanyas,” Mr Vidyasagar Rao said.
Mr Ravinder Reddy, meanwhile, accused a section of the media of indulging in character assassination. “While I was on my way to KCR’s residence, channels telecast that I had quit. It is unfair to indulge in such vicious campaigns even before a charge is proved. I quit when I was asked to do so by Mr Rao’ he remarked.
He said he had sincerely worked for the party since a decade. “When I did not get sold in the past one decade, how can I get sold now? I don’t accept the charge. I voted for our party candidate as per the code allotted to me, he asserted.
–Agencies