HYDERABAD: Congress leader P Kaushik Reddy, in-charge of Huzurabad constituency, who contested against Eatala Rajender in 2018, resigned on Monday after a leaked audio conversation flung him into a controversy. A close aide of former TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, Kaushik can be heard telling a TRS leader Vijender that the TRS was certain to give him the ticket for the Huzurabad byelection.
The audio of the alleged phone conversation also has Kaushik telling Vijender to mobilise youth to campaign for the TRS by offering them Rs 3,000-5,000. "Prepare the list of youth and immediately forward it to me. I will also take care of you. Bollam Rajireddy will call you," he says in the call, which was obviously recorded.
Within hours of the audio going viral on social media, the TPCC Disciplinary Action Committee issued a show-cause notice to Kaushik. However, the Huzurabad leader decided not to respond to the show-cause notice and sent in his resignation instead.
Earlier, Kaushik raised eyebrows when he was spotted with IT Minister KT Rama Rao at a few functions, following Eatala Rajender's resignation. Chairman of the TPCC Disciplinary Action Committee, M Kodanda Reddy, demanded an explanation from Kaushik Reddy within 24-hours over his alleged conversation with the TRS partyman. He was also asked to explain his anti-Congress activities.
Kaushik chose to do away with the explanations and sent his resignation to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. Disclosing this at a press conference, he questioned the high command's decision to elevate Revanth Reddy as TPCC president.
He alleged that Revanth paid Rs 50 crore to party Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore. He also alleged that it was Revanth who was a covert because he was working for the TDP.
Reacting to this, Uttam, who is in Bengaluru, condemned his allegations and held that it was only because of the party’s decision to field him from Huzurabad in 2018 that Kaushik Reddy gained some recognition. “I condemn the allegations made against Revanth and Tagore,” Uttam said.
Meanwhile Revanth, who vowed to weed out all the "coverts", tweeted. "A thief defends the loudest when caught" [SIC] and added by tagging @TelanganaCMO "coverts and covert operations will not be spared anymore".
NREG field assistants to file nominations for byelection
Like Nizamabad 2019 Parliament elections, field assistants of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREG) are planning to file mass nomination in the upcoming Huzurabad byelection. NREG field assistants held a State-level meeting in Huzurabad on Monday. TS State Fields Assistants JAC president Mudigonda Shyamalaiah said they have been asking the government to re-instate them after being sacked 16 months ago.