Telangana: 'KCR driving Cong candidate to suicide'

Demanding action on the police who raided the house of Gajwel Congress candidate Vanteru Pratap Reddy’s son’s here at Kompally, leading to self-immolation attempt by Reddy on late Monday night, TPCC Chief Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged the hand of caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in driving Congress candidate to take such a drastic step.

Vanteru Pratap Reddy is contesting from Gajwel assembly constituency against Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

He resisted the search by the police and during the process, he doused himself with petrol, which was thwarted by the police. He was later arrested for obstructing the police from discharging their duties. Police, however, said that no case was filed against the Congress candidate as they found nothing in that house.

According to the Cyberabad police, the Election Commission authorities had received a complaint from the TRS leaders that there was cash and liquor stashed at the Kompally residence. Following instructions from the EC, a team of police officials led by Balanagar Deputy Commissioner of Police Padmaja went to his residence to conduct searches.

Addressing a press conference here along with TPCC Chief, Vanteru has questioned whether the EC and the police dare search the farmhouse of KCR. “There has been specific information that large scale money distribution has been going at the farm house of KCR at Erravelli near Gajwel. Do you have the guts to conduct searches in his farm house?” he asked.

Vonteru was arrested by the police for the second consecutive day as he protested in front of the Gajwel Returning Officer alleging harassment by police on Sunday night. “Because he is giving a tough fight against KCR, the latter was instigating the police to harass him mentally and physically,” the TPCC chief said.