G Kishan Reddy for ending Telugu Desam alliance

Hyderabad: BJP state president and MLA G. Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday that he would bring the cash-for-vote episode involving TD MLA Revanth Reddy to the notice of the party’s national leadership and would seek their guidance on continuing the alliance with Telugu Desam in Telangana.

Mr Reddy, who, along with party leaders, reached New Delhi on Tuesday, said prima-facie he condemned the incident wherein the TD MLA had openly offered a bribe to the nominated MLA for the latter’s vote.

He said that though the incident was highly objectionable and condemnable, it was equally regrettable that the ruling TRS party fielded an additional candidate and relied completely on MLAs who had defected to it from other parties.

When asked if the incident would affect BJP’s relationship with the TD in the state, he said that he could not decide on alliances and would abide by the directions of the national leadership.

Referring to the MLC polls held on Monday, the BJP leader admitted that it was a mistake on the part of the five BJP MLAs, including himself, to exercise the “NOTA” (None Of The Above) option inadvertently.

“It was our mistake, we did not know that giving the second preference vote to NOTA would invalidate our ballot, we were not aware of this, we will be careful hereafter,” he said.

Slamming Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for indulging in anti-democratic, unethical politics throughout his one-year rule, Mr Reddy said, “The chief minister’s wish that only TRS and Majlis should remain in Telangana and other political parties should perish is highly objectionable.”