(Prashanth Reddy)
Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka today sat on Satyagrah at Dharna Chowk near Indira Part against what he called the murder of democracy in Telangana. Mallu was protesting against the alleged engineered defection of Congress MLAs to ruling TRS. As many as 12 MLAs, calling themselves as CLP, sought a merger with TRS two days back which the speaker approved promptly.
The Satyagraha Deeksha will go on for 36 hours.
AICC in-charge of Telangana Congress affairs RC Khunita, TPCC president N Uttamkumar Reddy, senior party leaders K Jana Reddy, V Hanumantha Rao, Shabbir Ali, MLC T Jeevan Reddy, MLA Seethakka, TJS leader Professor Kodandaram, TDP leader Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy etc were present at the Deeksha.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhatti Vikramarka slammed chief minister KCR for encouraging defections and targeting Congress party. He said all the MLAs who defected to TRS should respect the people’s mandate which was given for the Congress in the constituencies in the 2018 Assembly elections. He said they should resign and seek a fresh mandate.
“The Congress party won’t get weakened due to the defections of MLAs to TRS,” Bhatti said.
AICC Telangana in-charge RC Khunita said the merger of CLP in TRS was illegal would be challenged in the Court. “KCR had resorted to the merger to deny opposition status Bhatti Vikramarka, who is a Dalit. The chief minister was intolerant of a Dalit becoming CLP leader,” Khunita said adding that Congress won’t lie low watching the murder of democracy in Telangana.
Former Rajya Sabha member Hanumantha Rao said that they had complained to the governor and sought action against the MLA as per the anti-defection law.