High Drama in T'gana as TRS Accuses BJP of Poaching MLAs, Latter Says Not Interested in Your Leaders

With the high-stakes Munugode bypoll just days away now, Telangana?s Cyberabad Police raided a farmhouse belonging to Tandur MLA and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Pilot Rohit Reddy in a crackdown on alleged attempts to poach four MLAs of the party, a claim that the BJP has termed as ?drama? created by TRS.

The searches at the farmhouse located in Aziz Nagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad were conducted on Wednesday night. The police said that some people tried to lure the TRS MLAs Guvvala Balaraju (Atchampet) , B Harshavardhan Reddy (Kollapur), Rega Kanta Rao (Pinapaka) and Pilot Rohit Reddy (Tandur), at whose house the deal was allegedly brokered, with money, contracts and posts if the said MLAs switch their loyalty to the party which they were proposed.

The Cyberabad Police, which was tipped off by the MLAs themselves, has taken into custody three persons ?  Ramachandra Bharati, Swamiji Simhayaji and Nanda Kumar ? who were at the farmhouse when the searches took place.

Cyberabad Commisioner of Police (CP) Stephen Ravindra said that the MLAs themselves tipped off the police that some people have been trying to lure them by offering money, contracts and posts, following which the police raided the farm house. The police found three persons ? who identified themselves as Ramachadra Bharati alias Satish Sharma, a priest from Haryana?s Faridabad, Swamiji Simhayaji a seer from Tirupati and Nanda Kumar from Hyderabad ? in the farmhouse.

CP Stephen Ravindra said that the police came to know that Nanda Kumar brought the MLAs to the farmhouse in a bid to lure them. He said that they will reveal full details after making thorough investigation in the case and take legal action against the accused.

According to the TRS leaders, the accused made a deal of offering Rs 100 crore to each MLA if they switch their loyalty to other party. Speaking to media persons, MLA Guvvala Balaraju said that they will not allow any kind of atrocities in Telangana at any cost. He said that they will try to protect the democracy in the country be exposing the deals of selfish politicians under the leadership of TRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao.

Another MLA, Rega Kantha Rao, said that they reached the farmhouse by 5 pm on Wednesday and that they will reveal all details on Thursday.

BJP Denies Allegations of Poaching TRS MLAs

Soon after the arrests were made, the ruling party alleged that Union minister G Kishan Reddy?s aide was one of the accused caught attempting to poach MLAs. The minister refuted the ?Operation Lotus? allegations and said the entire event is fabricated.

G Kishan Reddy held a press briefing over the matter and said Nanda Kumar, the accused being claimed to be linked to the leader, runs a restaurant in his constituency. ?Many years ago I went to inaugurate his restaurant. I?m a public figure many people come and click pics with me. All baseless and fabricated allegations against me. Nanda Kumar is, in fact, associated with TRS,? Reddy said.

?In the last 9 years, TRS engaged in horse-trading and snatched MLAs from other parties. They destroyed YSR Cong, TDP and even Cong by taking away 12 of their MLAs in complete violation of defection laws. They are acting out of frustration. Their top leadership is slogging on the ground but the surveys in Munugode are against them and that is why KCR is starting new dramas because he fears losing his seat,? he added.

Kishan Reddy said the BJP has ?no interest in getting TRS?s corrupt leaders into our party?. ?If they come on their own then they are most welcome. We will never indulge in such dirty tactics,? Kishan Reddy said and demanded an SC-monitored probe into the matter.

?We want a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to look into this. We also demand a CBI probe,? Reddy said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar termed the ruling TRS party a ?drama company?. Addressing mediapersons, he said that people will laugh at the TRS party on the cock and bull stories the party leaders were telling. He wanted to know the name of those who claimed that the persons in farmhouse belonged to the BJP.

Bandi Sanjay Kumar has said that TRS chief KCR has ?directed the drama? in order to threaten his party MLAs. He alleged that the ruling party has brought the Swamiji in the so-called ?murky deal? in order to ?insult the Hindu society?. He said that they will conduct a thorough investigation on the allegations made by the TRS MLAs.

BJP national vice president DK Aruna has alleged that KCR carried out the ?drama? in fear of facing debacle in the Munugode bypoll. She said that KCR ?created a new story that three persons from the BJP trying to lure the TRS MLAs with money, contracts and post to make them to join the BJP?. She alleged that the Cyberabad Commissioner of Police Stephen Raveendra is reading the script written by KCR in front of the media

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