HYDERABAD: Hitting out at BJP legislator Etala Rajendar's allegation that they had taken Rs 25 crore from BRS leaders during the Munugode bypoll, Congress leaders on Saturday demanded his unconditional apology for making such baseless remarks.
TPCC official spokesperson Addanki Dayakar said that Rajendar had become frustrated at having failed to influence any leader to join the BJP; the BJP MLA heads the ‘admission committee’ of the party.
"Rajendar is a political prostitute. If he has evidence, he must accept the TPCC chief's challenge and swear at Bhagyalakshmi temple," Dayakar said. Rajendar made such remarks only to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, he said.
"It is a political drama being played out jointly by BRS and BJP to malign the reputation of the Congress. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is indirectly supporting the BJP to split votes and ensure the defeat of Congress nominees. Why did the Centre close Sahara cases registered against Rao," Dayakar asked.
He also alleged that JDS and MIM had a political alliance in Assembly poll-bound Karnataka, where the BJP and BRS are conspiring to divide votes.
Munugode Congress candidate Palvai Sravanthi, who lost to the BRS, said that Rajendar had played a key role in purchasing leaders to sabotage her prospects.
Another spokesperson, Sudheer Kumar Reddy, alleged that Rajendar had encroached on endowment properties for his business but the BRS government was silent on the issue.
The BJP leader on Friday alleged that BRS and Congress had internal links and the former paid Rs 25 crore to Congress during the Munugode bypoll.
