Congress to ringfence leaders

ADILABAD/Hyderabad: The Congress is taking all the steps to protect its candidates from TRS pressure ahead of the local body elections. It has decided to issue B-Forms at the last minute to ensure that TRS poll managers do not force the candidates to drop out of the contest.

Adilabad DCC president Bhargav Deshpande said the party was taking all measures to protect its candidates. He alleged that the ruling party was trying to pressurise Congress candidates with good chances to withdraw from the contest to ensure an easy win for the TRS.

The Congress has already decided to ask candidates to give in writing that they will not defect.

In Hyderabad, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said he would not accept the allegations of the TRS that there was a leadership lacuna in the Congress as it was purchasing Opposition MLAs using its ill-gotten wealth.

Mr Reddy questioned how the 130-year-old Congress could be merged into the TRS Legislature Party, referring to the plan expressed by defectors MLAs on Sunday. He was speaking at an event at Gandhi Bhavan to felicitate Mr T. Jeevan Reddy after taking oath as MLC.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said Mr Jeevan Reddy had won as an MLC on the strength of his image. He said that the TRS had tried to see that there was no Congress representation in the Legislative Council but Mr Jeevan Reddy had defeated the plan.

The TPCC president said the election of Mr Jeevan Reddy in an election conducted using ballot papers had increased their doubts on the reliability of EVMs. He appointed Mr Jeevan Reddy as chief coordinator in the local body elections.

Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the people had voted for Mr Jeevan Reddy to ensure that there is Opposition representation in the Council. It was a shame that defected MLAs who were elected on the Congress symbol were criticising the party.

Mr Jeevan Reddy said he had won six elections, but the outcome of the December polls had surprised him. He said that educated people had voted to him in the MLC election in a vote against the state government.

Mr Jeevan Reddy said the people had given a reward by electing him as MLC and he would serve the people of Jagtial till the end of his life.
AICC general secretary R.C. Khuntia called on the defected MLAs to return to the party now, or its doors would be closed for them in the future.