Telangana: Cash, contracts came with ED threat, say TRS MLAs

HYDERABAD: In the alleged cash-for-defection case, Tandur MLA Rohith Reddy was first approached by 'middlemen' asking him to get others to switch loyalties. He was lured with cash and contracts, sources in TRS said.
The MLA is a close friend of one of the accused Nanda Kumar, hailing from Hyderabad and is also said to be a business partner of Rohith Reddy.Through him, the other three MLAs were contacted by the middlemen. The Tandur MLA reportedly informed police and even mentioned in the complaint that some BJP leaders had allegedly threatened them with raids by income tax, Enforcement Directorate and CBI if they do not join the saffron party.

He reportedly informed TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao after the raid on the farmhouse that BJP's alleged agents offered some power stations in the north-eastern states and also highways contracts. "They offered incentives for each MLA if they get more leaders," a TRS general secretary said.
Interestingly, of the four MLAs, except Guvvala Balaraju, three MLAs - Rohith Reddy, Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy and Rega Kantha Rao - got elected on a Congress ticket in 2018 assembly election and switched loyalties to TRS later.
"Rohith Reddy is close to Kollapur MLA Harshavardhan Reddy as he joined the pink party with the initiative of Harshavardhan Reddy. Similarly, Harshavardhan Reddy and Balaraju are close as they hail from erstwhile Nagarkurnool district," sources in TRS said.
Some leaders said Rama Chandra Bharathi alias Satish Sharma and D Simhayaji from Tirupati organise rituals for various political parties' leaders, including BJP's politicos. They even held some rituals in the farmhouse belonging to Rohith Reddy at Aziznagar.
"When they got an offer a week ago, the MLAs informed the leadership and planned to expose the deals and unethical practices," a general secretary of the TRS said.
Stunned by the developments, the TRS started enquiring whether the agents have approached any other MLA or MP belonging to TRS with similar offers.