NIZAMABAD: Former Zilla Parishad chairman K. Venkataramana Reddy, who withdrew as a Congress candidate in the recent MLC elections, has complained to AICC president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi, that an 11-member party committee allegedly took Rs 2 crore from him for “expenditure” and neither paid the voters nor returned the money to him.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Reddy admitted that giving or taking money for elections was an offence. “I am ready to face the punishment along with senior Congress leaders,” he said. “They demanded a large amount for the elections. Unable to bear this, I withdrew from the contest,” he said. He said only Rs 30 lakh was paid to the elected representatives of Kamareddy division. The election was limited to elected representatives of local bodies. "I will complain to the Election Commission about the Congress leaders and provide proof," he said.
The former zilla parishd chief said “cash politics” should be eliminated and the people should know the reality about their leaders. “The people and the leaders of Nizamabad district know my character during my three-year tenure as zilla parishad chairman," he said.
Mr Reddy denied allegations that he had withdrawn from the election after striking a secret pact with the TRS, and said he would continue in the Congress.
Attacking local leaders of the party, he said the Congress had lost in the district in 2009 even when it retained power in the state. The district had not voted for the Congress even in 2014, and the leaders had turned a burden on the party, he said.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
