After 3-week hiatus, ‘Poachgate’ TRS MLAs return to constituencies

HYDERABAD: After a three-week hiatus, the four TRS MLS who were in the spotlight after allegedly being lured by BJP agents to join the saffron party returned to their constituencies on Sunday under tight security cover in a bulletproof vehicle.

While the poachgate case at a farmhouse in Moinabad on the city outskirts was surfaced on October 28, the four MLAs have not been seen in public or in their constituencies since then, with the exception of three occasions when Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao addressed a press conference at Pragathi Bhavan, the CM’s Munugode byelection rally, and the recent TRSLP meeting.

They were put up in a secure location following threatening phone calls received by them. The four MLAs arrived in their respective constituencies under heavy security. They were given a bulletproof vehicle as well as 4+4 security personnel.

The four MLAs Pilot Rohith Reddy (Tandur), Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy (Kolhapur), Rega Kantha Rao (Pinapaka), and Guvvala Balaraju (Achampet) were allegedly approached by a few BJP agents on October 28 and offered Rs 50 crore each to join the saffron party when Cyberabad police arrived, raided the farmhouse in Moinabad, arrested the accused, and sent them to jail. On the same day, the MLAs were dropped off at the CM's camp office, Pragathi Bhavan. They have remained at Pragathi Bhavan since.

These MLAs made their first public appearance at Chandur in the Munugode Assembly constituency on October 30 when the CM addressed the TRS election meeting for bypoll. They accompanied the CM to Chandur in a helicopter and left for the Pragathi Bhavan along with the CM after the public meeting.

The CM himself presented these four MLAs to the people, hailing them as "saviours of democracy" for turning down crores of rupees from “Delhi brokers”. They later made another public appearance at Pragathi Bhavan on November 3, when the CM addressed a press conference to release video footage of the poachgate scandal.

Their whereabouts were not known later. They appeared in public again on November 15 at Telangana Bhavan, the party's headquarters, where the CM convened a joint meeting of TRS MLAs, MLCs, and MPs. Following this meeting, these MLAs went underground once more.

TRS local leaders and workers breathed a sigh of relief when these MLAs returned to their constituencies on Sunday and accorded a grand welcome to them.  The secrecy surrounding their whereabouts since October 28 has caused consternation and anxiety among their supporters in their constituencies.

Interestingly, a few people eagerly waiting for their MLAs even filed missing cases in police stations after they failed to return to their constituencies after two weeks.  Interestingly, a few people eagerly awaiting their MLAs even filed missing persons reports with the police after they failed to return to their constituencies after two weeks.