HYDERABAD: Dubbaka MLA M Raghunandan Rao on Monday said he would prosecute GHMC zonal commissioners in the court of law for “illegally” withdrawing huge amounts from banks towards the distribution of flood relief. The BJP leader said he would pursue this course of action after the civic body elections.
Raghunandan was speaking at a ‘Meet the Press’ event organised by the Telangana Journalists Union. Attributing his victory to BJP, Raghunandan said he would stay in the BJP till his last breath. “One cannot separate Raghunandan Rao from BJP, even if BJP doesn’t give any posts or party ticket to me,” he said.
The MLA, who contested twice for an Assembly seat and once in the parliamentary polls, described his present position as wearing a crown of thorns. “It is difficult for any politician to go for polls each year. I had to shell out whatever money I had saved as an advocate,” he said. Stating that Dubbaka is a completely rural area, he said that he will bring funds from the Centre to develop all of its gram panchayats on par with Siddipet and Gajwel. Talking about his expulsion from the TRS long back, Raghunandan said, “Due to the reasons best known to the ruling party, they sent me out abruptly at midnight. I have never received an answer.”About the GHMC elections, he said, “TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao has hatched a conspiracy to hand over GHMC to AIMIM as he did during the Nizamabad municipal polls.”
Ex-Mayor Banda Karthika to join saffron fold soon
Former Hyderabad Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy and her husband Banda Chandra Reddy, who is a TPCC secretary, will join the BJP on Thursday, in the presence of senior BJP leader and MoS Kishan Reddy. She may not contest the GHMC elections, but would campaign for the BJP in Tarnaka division. In August, Kishan Reddy had met Karthika, and she had expressed interest in joining the BJP. When contacted, Karthika said, “I’m joining the BJP as the Congress let me down after promising me Assembly tickets.”
Don’t give tickets to candidates with criminal records: FGG
The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) on Monday urged all political parties not to give tickets to candidates having criminal records in the GHMC polls. In the light of the polls, FGG analysed the antecedents of sitting corporators. All political parties put together had given tickets to 72 candidates with criminal records in the 2016 GHMC elections - eight women and 64 men - out of which 30 won. Of the 30, 16 are from the TRS, 13 from the AIMIM, and one from the BJP
Candidates asked to maintain transparency on poll expenditure
Candidates contesting in the upcoming GHMC polls should maintain transparency on their poll expenditure, said TSEC Commissioner C Parthasarathi. The Commissioner, who held a meeting with Expenditure Observers at the TSEC Office here on Monday, said that the expenditure on polls by candidates should be as per 617-B of the GHMC Act, 1955