Venkat Reddy returns after Munugode campaign ends

Hyderabad: A day after the campaigning for the Munugode by-poll ended, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy returned from Australia after avoiding campaigning for the Congress candidate, who is up against Reddy’s brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, after his switch to the BJP.

Venkat Reddy went missing from the campaign despite being declared a star campaigner by the Congress. He was then issued a notice, on October 22, by the AICC’s disciplinary committee for allegedly supporting his brother over the Congress candidate. Still, the MP did not respond to the notice despite the 10-day deadline for the same elapsing.

Repeated attempts by Deccan Chronicle to contact Venkat Reddy went unanswered, with senior Congress leaders saying they did not get a response from Reddy.

V. Hanumantha Rao, a former PCC chief, said, “I tried to reach out to him but there was no response. Some others in the party also tried to contact me. He should have at least responded to the show-cause (notice). Taking part in the election campaign is altogether a different issue, but he should have participated in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Being an MP, he should have shown some respect.”

The notice was issued after a video of Venkat Reddy’s conversation with a Congress colleague, asking him to support his brother, on October 21 went viral.

In the purported video clip, he is heard saying: “Congress won’t win in Munugode and cannot spend the money like the ruling party. Why should I campaign for a losing poll? He (brother) will be winning. I won elections five times. I won’t be submitting to him (Revanth).”

Deccan Chronicle could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

However, his trip to Australia, instead of replying to the allegations, compounded the matter.