Who Is KTR to Preach on Defections: Aadi Srinivas

Hyderabad:Government whip Aadi Srinivas asked BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao to explain how the party had admitted over 60 MLAs, MLCs, and MPs from Congress, TD and the CPI, during its tenure in power.

During a press conference here on Tuesday, the Congress MLA said that the BRS had pioneered "defection politics" under the leadership of former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

“KTR speaking of morals in politics should be ashamed, especially after his father KCR invented new ways of defections, merging Legislative Parties at will while admitting defecting MLAs into the party one by one,” Srinivas remarked.

He claimed that the Kalvakuntla family, which leads the BRS, had tarnished the image of Telangana over the past decade.

“The people of Telangana deserve answers for the political pollution caused by encouraging defections when they had hoped for a democratic state where the opposition parties remain strong,” he said.

Srinivas went on to ask Rama Rao to clarify who was responsible for the defections of Congress MLAs in 2014 and 2018, and who acted as the "middle-man" in luring them with money.

He warned Rama Rao to refrain from speaking on matters currently under judicial review and pending with the Speaker’s office.

He referred to the BRS's recent setbacks in elections, claiming that the people had already taught the party a lesson, both in the Assembly and Parliament elections.

“If Assembly by-polls are inevitable, as KTR wishes, people are ready to teach the BRS another lesson,” Srinivas said.

He also cautioned the BRS leadership about their derogatory language towards Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, warning that the Congress cadre would respond strongly if the attacks continued.