Countering claims made by the BJP in Telangana, ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader and state Finance Minister T Harish Rao said that the party was making ‘baseless’ and ‘ridiculous’ allegations. Addressing a ‘TRS Yuva Garjana’ cycle rally at Thogutta ahead of the Dubbaka bye-polls, which are scheduled to be held on November 3, Harish Rao said that BJP leaders are resorting to making these allegations as they were scared of being defeated in the elections.
As reported earlier by TNM, Rs 18.65 lakh was seized by the Siddipet police from BJP candidate Raghunandan Rao's relative S Anjana Rao’s house. However, BJP claimed that the money was planted by the police in order to sabotage the party and book Raghunandan. The police have released a video to back their version of events and said that they seized the money before alleged BJP workers reached the spot and ‘looted’ the cash.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, TRS leaders launched a scathing attack on BJP with Harish Rao pointing out that the same BJP candidate had lost his deposit twice in Dubbaka. The TRS leader rubbished the allegation by the BJP that the money was planted. "The whole world has seen the truth with the police releasing a full video of the search conducted at the house of a BJP candidate's relative. If it is not BJP candidate's money, why did he go there when the search was on?" Harish Rao asked.
Speaking to the media, Siddipet Police Commissioner Joel Davis said that when the Executive Magistrate and police officials were coming out of the house, they were attacked by BJP workers who snatched away a part of the cash. Davis said they registered a case on the complaint lodged by the Executive Magistrate and were trying to identify those who attacked the officials and took away the cash.
Another minister, T Srinivas Yadav, asked BJP leaders to ‘mind their language’ and added that the party was no match for the TRS, which has several lakhs workers across the state. "BJP leaders are doing this drama and making false allegations after being caught red-handed," said Yadav.