TRS 'bribing' case: Telangana BJP complains to ECI, ED

After appealing to the Telangana High Court for a CBI or a sitting judge inquiry, the BJP Friday approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a thorough probe into the TRS MLAs' bribe charges against the party and the huge amounts of money being publicised.

Telangana BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao wrote to the ED asking its investigation of the whole sequence to unearth facts “as he has no faith in local officials”.

Days ahead of the Munugodu bypoll, Rao also wrote to the ECI seeking its intervention “to ensure free and fair poll practices.”

“The Cyberabad police said that they captured a gang of three for attempting to bribe the legislators of the ruling TRS party. According to media reports, the gang offered Rs 400 crore to the MLAs to sabotage the party they belong to. However, police reports do not reveal any cash captured or ceased from the arrested. Furthermore, a criminal court refused to order the remand of the captured three since the police failed to prove any crime or money transactions as were popularly publicised,” Rao said in the letter to ED.

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In the letter to the chief election commissioner, Rao said that while an election to a constituency is in progress, the Cyberabad Police Commissioner “was attempting to tarnish the image of BJP leadership without any evidence or proof”.

Meanwhile, the HC posted further hearings in the “TRS MLAs' poaching with bribes” case on Saturday while reportedly asking the three alleged mediators to stay put in Hyderabad.

The Cyberabad police had on Wednesday evening detained Ramachandra Bharati from Delhi, Simhayaji from Tirupati and Nanda Kumar from Hyderabad at a farmhouse near the city after TRS MLA Rohith Reddy complained that the three offered him a Rs 100 crore bribe and other benefits if he resigns from TRS and joins the BJP.

A case was registered in the Moinabad police station under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 171-B read with 171-E 506 read with 34 IPC and also Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

On Thursday, a special ACB court in Hyderabad rejected the police remand request citing a lack of evidence and freed the three men. The police have approached the HC seeking their custody.

Rohith Reddy in his complaint stated that the three mediators “negotiated with him to join BJP by resigning from TRS and contest in the next elections on BJP ticket.”

“The three offered Rohith an amount of Rs 100 crore, central government civil contract works and other high central government positions and lured him to join in BJP. They also stated that if he does not join BJP there will be criminal cases and raids by the ED, CBI and that the Telangana government led by TRS party will be toppled,” the Cyberabad police said.

Dubbaka BJP MLA Rao said that “the whole episode drives at a mystical game of local politicians and public servants put together, enacted as a cinematic sequel to blemish the BJP leadership.”