In a peculiar incident, a sitting legislator in Telangana wrote a letter to a District Collector demanding a probe into allegations of corruption, against the TRS MLA himself.
The incident took place when Nizamabad (Rural) MLA Bajireddy Govardhan on Monday sought an enquiry by the police or any other appropriate authority immediately.
He was responding to allegations by TRS MLC Bhupathi Reddy, who recently accused Govardhan of sanctioning the regularisation of land under the 'sada bainama scheme' after taking heavy bribes.
According to reports, the scheme was introduced to regularise land transactions that were done on plain paper instead of registered deeds decades ago due to the lack of awareness in rural areas.
Stating that he was taken aback by the allegations by Bhupathi Reddy, Govardhan shot of a letter to the Nizamabad District Collector.
“It is an attempt to tarnish my reputation. I also request that if I am found not guilty in this matter, take necessary action to restore my reputation dented by the MLC,” the letter stated.
Responding to the letter, Bhupathi Reddy told reporters, "This is a namesake probe sought by the MLA, who is highly influential. How can a Collector prove corruption allegations and take action against a ruling party MLA?"
While the incident has also highlighted a rift in the TRS, this is not the first time that the party's internal conflicts have gone public.
In August last year, Khanapur MLA Ajmeera Rekhanatak filed a case with the local police, alleging that former MP and TRS leader Ramesh Rathod, threatened her and outraged her modesty.
In her complaint with the Khanapur police, Rekha alleged that Rathod had held her right hand and used abusive language against her, even hinting that he would kill her.
The incident was reported to have happened on August 8, when leaders met at a guest house in Khanapur.
Earlier last year, Mahabubabad TRS MLA Shankar Nayak was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with District Collector Preeti Meena during a Harita Haram programme.
The issue had attracted severe criticism from political circles and IAS officers, which led to KCR’s intervention.