On May 31, 2015, Revanth Reddy, then with the Telugu Desam Party, was apprehended by the anti‐corruption bureau (ACB) while allegedly paying Rs 50 lakh bribe to Elvis Stephenson, a nominated MLA, for supporting TDP nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in the legislative council elections that were to be held on June 1, 2015.
Former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao Hints about DGP and intelligence chief having knowledge of his ‘activity’
RAJESWAR BALIPI
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi had said on January 12, 2014 at Goa’s Vijay Sankalp rally that, “Congress Mukt Bharat is not merely a slogan, but the determination of the people of India”.
But in 2018, the verdict of people in five states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana – shattered the dream of Modi-Amit Shah’s dream of ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’.
Realising the fact that it is not easy for them to ensure ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ through people’s verdict, the BJP pulled some strings as a result of which the Congress government crumbled in Madhya Pradesh and the BJP formed government with the help of dissidents from the grand old party.
Speculation is rife that a similar act like that of Madhya Pradesh might be repeated in Telangana in the days to come and the Congress government under the leadership of chief minister A Revanth Reddy might fall.Congress has 68 seats in the state assembly, while Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has 34 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has eight, All
India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has seven and Communist Party of India one seat.
Though Congress has clear majority and it has the support of AIMIM and CPI legislators, analysts say that two parties – BJP and BRS – wish to replace the grand old party.
The BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, during the campaigning for 2024 general elections has said that Revanth Reddy’s government will not lost long. “The BJP will not allow Congress government to run for its full term. It had tried to buy our MLAs and topple the government though we had 88 seats in the assembly. Now the Congress has only 68 seats and it is not a difficult task for them”. The BRS chief had also said that about 30 Congress MLAs were in touch with his party. Keeping the numbers aside, there is one more serious factor that could
“RE VA NTH REDDY GOVERN MENT WILL
“R EVA NTH REDDY GOVERN MEN T WILL
NOT L A ST LON G” : KCR
NOT L AST LONG” : KCR
“HE MAY EITHE R L AND IN JA IL OR BE COME ANOTHER HIM ANTHA ” : POL ITICAL PUNDITS
“HE MAY EITHER L AND IN JAI L OR BE COME A NOTHER HIMA NTHA” : POLI TICAL PUNDITS
lead to change in government in Telangana. And that issue is about Revanth Reddy’s alleged involvement in the 2012 cash-forvote case in which he has to face trial, say analysts.
On May 31, 2015, Revanth Reddy, then with the Telugu Desam Party, was apprehended by the anti‐corruption bureau (ACB) while allegedly paying Rs 50 lakh bribe to Elvis Stephenson, a nominated MLA, for supporting TDP nominee Vem Narendar Reddy in the legislative council elections that were to be held on June 1, 2015. Even as the trial is underway, Revanth Reddy has become the chief minister of Telangana. In this background, one cannot expect the trial to be fair.
direction to transfer the case from Hyderabad to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh to ensure free and fair trial. The petitioners include a former deputy chief minister and former ministers of Telangana.
The petitioners claimed that Revanth Reddy, prime accused in the 2015 case, has become the Chief and Home Minister for the State of Telangana with 88 criminal cases pending against him.
So, two separate petitions were filed in the Supreme Court – one seeking CBI probe into the cash-forvote case by adding the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu as accused and the other one to transfer the trial of the case to a court in some other state.
The petition seeking CBI probe was filed by Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy. The Supreme Court adjourned hearing into the case to July 24 while making it clear that adjournments shall not be sought again. Ramakrishna Reddy also pleaded to include Chandrababu Naidu as an accused in the case.
Another case was filed by former BRS minister Guntakandla Jagadish Reddy and three others seeking a
only two options - either to go behind bars on the lines of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal or join hands with BJP.
In either case, the Congress government in Telangana is likely to fall and the BJP will form a government by joining hands with BRS for, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in politics, only permanent interests.
"Since the accused has a direct control over the prosecution, it is understood that there cannot be any possibility for free and fair trial which is sine qua non of Article 21 of the Constitution," the plea said.
The plea said if the trial is continued by the principal judge for trial of cases at Hyderabad, Telangana then the rule of law will be vitiated and the judicial fairness, criminal justice system would be at stake shaking the confidence of the public at large.
Political pundits foresee that the Modi-Shah combine, whose dream is ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’, will not let go of the opportunity. They will pull some strings to ensure that Revanth Reddy is left with
According to political pundits, BJP cannot form its government in Telangana by winning elections at least for the next one decade. So, the only option left for the saffron party is to ‘grab power’ through ‘operation aakarsh’.
It will be ‘two birds one shot’ for the BJP if it makes the move now. This way, it can achieve two targets – form government in the state and inch towards at least ‘Congress Mukt Telangana’ if not Congress Mukt Bharat.
“Can there be a disease worse than slavery..?”
—KhudiramBose