TRS suspends MLA’s son for abetting family suicide

Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Friday suspended Vanama Raghavendra Rao alias Raghava, the son of Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateshwar Rao, from the party with immediate effect, after he was named as an accused in connection with the suicide of a businessman’s family of four in Paloncha in Kothagudem on Sunday last.

TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao issued orders to suspend Raghava from the party. Following this, party general secretary and MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy and Khammam in-charge Nookala Naresh Reddy handed over the orders in this regard.

Raghava has been named as A2 (accused number 2) in the case. The victim M. Naga Ramakrishna, in his suicide note and later through a selfie video which surfaced on Thursday, alleged that Raghava had indirectly demanded sexual favours from his wife, in exchange for helping him resolve a property dispute within his own family.

Ramakrishna along with his wife Srilakshmi, daughters Sahitya and Sahiti, died by suicide by setting himself and his family on fire by leaking an LPG cylinder.
The TRS leadership took a serious view of this issue. Chandrashekar Rao and party working

president K.T. Rama Rao reportedly instructed all party leaders to keep a tab on their family members. They asked party leaders not to allow or tolerate their family members indulging in any irregularities in their respective constituencies which would damage the party's image.

However, the party did not initiate any action against Venkateshwar Rao even as Opposition parties and various organisations are strongly demanding action against both the MLA and his son saying that MLA Venkateshwar Rao deployed his son as 'shadow MLA' to indulge in heinous acts like land grabbing, settlements etc in Khammam. Opposition parties allege that Raghava resorted to large-scale irregularities in Khammam district on the directions of the MLA.

Raghava is facing allegations of involvement in all the issues including government activities on behalf of his father and no transfers or postings of officials happen in Khammam without Raghava's interference.

TRS sources say the party leadership is not keen to initiate any action against the MLA until the police inquiry is completed and the MLA is found guilty in the inquiry.

The party leadership is learnt to have received several complaints from districts over the involvement of family members of ministers, TRS MLAs, MPs etc in irregularities like illegal sand mining, land encroachments, indulging in 'settlements' pertaining to land disputes, financial transactions etc.

The party leadership reportedly warned all leaders that it would be forced to act against them also if they failed to control their family members in their respective constituencies.