Levelling serious allegations against Pradesh Congress Committee president Botcha Satyanarayana, Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh, who is said to be among the nine ‘expelled’ Congress MLAs, has said that the ‘expulsions’ are a conspiracy by the PCC chief to dislodge chief minister N Kiran Kumar, whose government would fall into minority after losing the MLAs.
Ramesh also demanded that the PCC chief reveal the names of the nine ‘expelled’ MLAs so that he could decide his future course of action, if his name figured in the list.
However, he said he could not be expelled from the party as he had never crossed the party line except once.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the Pedana MLA, who is said to be soon joining the YSRCP, said the ‘expulsions’ had brought down the strength of Congress MLAs to 146 from 155, two short of a simple majority. “How could the PCC chief take a such a decision which would ruin the Congress in the state?” he asked. “Does the PCC president want to create an internal crisis in the party with his action that caused a ‘constitutional crisis’ in the state?” he wondered.
He expressed the apprehension that Botcha through his action wanted to lend credence to the allegation that the ruling Congress had ‘colluded’ with the opposition Telugu Desam party.