Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy. (File Photo)

Hyderabad: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday demanded that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi respond to the disqualification of Danam Nagender as an MLA by the Telangana High Court for defecting to the Congress from BRS.

Hitting out at Congress and BRS, the Union Coal and Mines Minister said the High Court verdict is a slap on the face of two parties, whom he accused of "encouraging defections".

Recalling that Nagender contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on behalf of Congress despite being a BRS MLA, Kishan Reddy said Rahul Gandhi should explain how the Congress high command gave ticket to the former.
"Rahul Gandhi should respond to the High Court's verdict. Party tickets are decided in Delhi. How did Congress give a ticket when Nagender was a BRS MLA, according to assembly records. Does Rahul Gandhi and Congress have the moral right to talk about Constitution?" he asked, while addressing reporters.
"Rahul Gandhi carrying a copy of the Constitution and calling for safeguarding it is a complete sham and drama," he said.
According to him, former Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and former Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao also encouraged defections when they were in power.
He cited the example of Sabita Indra Reddy, who was elected on a Congress ticket, was made a minister during the previous BRS regime without resigning her MLA post.
The union minister alleged that the incumbent Congress government is also following in the footsteps of the previous BRS regime.
Kishan Reddy charged the Congress and BRS with "misusing power and indulging in corruption" and claimed that there was no difference between these two parties.
Noting that CM Revanth Reddy levelled many allegations against the previous BRS regime, he sought to know whether the former had taken any action on them since coming to power almost three years ago.
The Telangana High Court on September 18 disqualified Danam Nagender, a BRS MLA who defected to the ruling Congress, setting aside an order of the Assembly Speaker in March this year dismissing petitions seeking his disqualification.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh declared Nagender, MLA from Khairatabad here, disqualified from April 23, 2024, as a member of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, having contested from Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency on the Congress ticket in 2024 while being a BRS MLA.
The court passed the order while dealing with petitions filed by BJP floor leader in the Assembly Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and P Kaushik Reddy of BRS.


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