BJP approaches EC, ED seeking probe into TRS MLAs poaching case

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLAs poaching case in Telangana snowballed on Friday with the Bharatiya Janata Party approaching the Enforcement Directorate and the Election Commission seeking a probe, while TV channels aired alleged telephonic conversation between the complainant and the accused.

BJP MLA M Raghunandan Rao submitted a representation to the Enforcement Directorate in Hyderabad to investigate into the matter.

The BJP has already announced that it would move the court seeking a high-level investigation into the issue to bring out the truth over the ruling TRS' allegations that the BJP tried to poach some of its MLAs.

In his representation to the ED, Raghunandan Rao, who narrated the events, said though media reports state that police seized a huge sum of money during the arrest of three people for attempting to bribe legislators belonging to the TRS, the remand reports or FIRs do not reveal any money details.

He cited rules that no one can handle liquid cash of more than Rs 2 lakh at a time.

"As may be kindly witnessed from the entire sequences, the whole episode drives at a mystical game of local politicians and public servants put together enacted a cinematic sequel to blemish leadership of a national party to which I belong," he said, requesting the probe agency to investigate whole of the matter in its depth and unearth the truth in the interest of justice.

In Delhi, the BJP urged the Election Commission to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the TRS' allegation that its members tried to poach some MLAs of the regional party, claiming that the entire event has been staged to influence the Munugode bypoll scheduled for November 3.

Meanwhile, state BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar visited the Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri and took an oath with wet clothes that the BJP had no role in the alleged attempt to poach the four TRS MLAs, BJP sources said.

Sanjay Kumar on Thursday challenged Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to come to Yadadri and take a similar oath that he had nothing to do with the issue.

On Thursday, a court in Hyderabad rejected the remand of three people who were arrested by Cyberabad police on charges of allegedly trying to coax four TRS legislators into defecting, over not following the procedure of issuing a notice before the arrest.

Based on a complaint by Pilot Rohith Reddy, one of the legislators, cases under relevant sections-criminal conspiracy, offering bribe and Prevention of Corruption Act-1988- were filed against the trio-Ramachandra Bharati@ Satish Sharma, Nanda Kumar and Simhayaji Swamy on October 26 night.

They were arrested on Thursday and later in the night produced before a judge of a court for anti-corruption cases.

The judge instructed the police to issue notices under Section 41 Cr PC and ordered the release of the accused.

As per the FIR copy, Rohith Reddy alleged that the accused offered him Rs 100 crore and in return the legislator had to leave the TRS and contest as a BJP candidate in the next Assembly elections.