Cash for MLAs row: BJP moves Telangana High Court seeking CBI probe and fires back at TRS

He expressed a lack of faith in the ongoing police investigation. The petition listed eight respondents, including Principal Secretary, Home, Telangana DGP, Cyberabad Police Commissioner, Rajendranagar ACP, and Moinabad SHO, among others.

Three people, Ramachandra Bharathi, alias Satish Sharma, a resident of Delhi, Nanda Kumar of Hyderabad, and Simhayaji Swamy of Tirupati, were detained after a police raid on a farmhouse at Aziznagar in Cyberabad’s Moinabad area on Wednesday, 26 October.

The men allegedly offered four TRS MLAs huge sums, besides central government contracts and top positions, if they switched over to the saffron party.

Stage-managed incident

Dismissing the allegation, Premender Reddy said the TRS stage-managed the incident since the ruling party was jealous of the groundswell in favour of the BJP ahead of the November 3 Munugode by-election to the Assembly.

Earlier in the day, BJP leaders launched a broadside at the TRS, terming the allegations a sham meant to discredit the party.

BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar dared Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Reddy to swear that the Aziznagar farmhouse incident was genuine and not stage-managed. He said he would wait for KCR at Yadadri at 9 am on Friday, 28 October.

The TRS has stooped to deplorable levels and resorted to cheap tricks to win the Munugode Assembly seat, he alleged.

“One can imagine what would be the fate of politics if KCR makes a foray into national politics,” he said and advised him to eschew “chillar” politics.

“I don’t know the people you call BJP leaders, who tried to bribe the TRS MLAs. It is possible that they were TRS men,” he said.

It was alleged that the emissaries tried to entice MLAs Pilot Rohit Reddy, Rega Kantha Rao, Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy and Guvvala Balaraju into joining the BJP.

Accused close to KCR leaders: Kishan Reddy

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy said that Nanda Kumar, who the TRS dubbed as a BJP leader, had cordial relations with TRS top leaders.

Speaking to reporters, he said that the TRS had placed a red herring, fearing a defeat in Munugode. Kishan Reddy released pictures in which Nanda Kumar was seen with the KCR family.

The TRS earlier alleged that Nanda Kumar, a local hotelier, was close to Kishan Reddy.

He said that the TRS had stage-managed an act to give the impression that the BJP was trying to buy out TRS MLAs. It has not divulged the source of the money found at the farmhouse.

“Is it from KCR’s farmhouse or does it belong to the TRS MLAs,” he asked.