Telangana Congress on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to file a criminal case against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao for issuing slanderous advertisements in newspapers describing Congress as ‘Scamgress’.
The Congress party termed the advertisement as abusive and inflammatory and a violation of the model code of conduct.
A delegation of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) leaders met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj to lodge a complaint. The delegation wanted to know if the Election Commission of India approved the advertisement which is against the model code of conduct. If it was not approved then criminal action should be taken against KCR and KTR, the delegation demanded.
The ruling party gave full first page advertisements in all leading dailies alleging that the Congress indulged in scams to the tune of thousands of crores.
The delegation comprising CWC member Ajoy Kumar Ghosh, TPCC senior vice president G. Niranjan, and member TPCC election coordination committee M. Ramachandra Reddy said as per the Model Code of Conduct use of provocative and inflammatory statements, use of intemperate and abusive language, transgressing the limits of decency, attacks on personal character and conduct of political rivals vitiate the level playing field.
The delegation also demanded that the ECI ensure a full first page advertisement by the BRS expressing its regrets for the advertisement in all newspapers in which it was published. They also sought a ban on all advertisements of the BRS party till the end of the Telangana Assembly elections.
The delegation also demanded action against BRS working president and state minister KTR for misusing T-Hub for election campaign.
The Congress leaders alleged that by holding a meeting with a group of youth KTR misused the government facility for BRS campaign and thus violated model code of conduct.
KTR, who is minister for industries and information technology, had held a meeting with a group of youth preparing for government jobs and assured them that BRS stands by them.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case against the organiser of KTR’s interview with Telangana folk singer and BRS MLC Goreti Venkanna at the Telangana Martyrs memorial.
A case has been registered at Saifabad Police Station on the direction of the Returning Officer.
Police were trying to identify the person who organised the interview, which was telecast on some YouTube channels.
Congress leader Niranjan had filed a complaint with the Election Commission on November 16 for the misuse of the Telangana Martyrs’ memorial by the BRS for political publicity.