A Telangana Congress leader, Padi Kaushik Reddy, has landed in trouble with his party after a viral audio clip purportedly showed him trying to mobilize Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) party workers to canvas for him in the upcoming Huzurabad byelections. After the audio clip came to their notice, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has issued a show-cause notice against Kaushik for perceived anti-party activities.
Kaushik Reddy had earlier contested in the 2018 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket and in the audio clip he supposedly claimed to be the TRS party's candidate choice for the Huzurabad assembly constituency bye poll. The person in the audio offers money to the TRS activist to mobilize TRS party youth to campaign fon his behalf. The person purported to be Kaushik Reddy could be heard asking the TRS activist to share a list of youth from his village and offer them Rs 2000 to Rs 5000 to campagin for him. TPCC formed a committee headed by former Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha on July 9 and is yet to announce their Huzurabad candidate.
TNM was unable to verify the authenticity of the audio clip, and the Congress leader was unavailable for comment.
In their show cause notice issued to the leader, the TPCC chairman, M Konda Reddy pointed out that Kaushik was earlier warned not to indulge in anti-party activities, "We have received numerous complaints and video clippings from the party functionaries with regards to your anti-party activities. You have also met KT Rama Rao, Minister." The disciplinary action committee issued a first warning to the leader on June 12.
On July 12 the TPCC said they received the audio clippings. The committee has sought an explanation within 24 hours from the leader, "failing which it will be construed that you have no explanation to offer and stern disciplinary action will be initiated against you as per the guidelines of the Congress party constitution," the notice read.
Editor's note: This copy has been edited. The initial copy did not mention that Mr Reddy claimed he had got a seat from TRS.