AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday accused Congress of offering Rs 25 lakh bribe to cancel his rally in support of the ruling TRS in Nirmal Assembly constituency of Telangana.
Owaisi alleged that Congress candidate A Maheshwar Reddy called an AIMIM leader on phone and offered to pay Rs 25 lakh as bribe to stop him from holding the meeting.
The AIMIM president also claimed that the recording of the conversation was in his possession.
However, A Maheshwar Reddy rejected the allegations and challenged Owaisi to prove his charges.
Reddy added that he would quit politics if the charges are proved.
MIM, which is on friendly terms with the TRS, has not fielded its candidate in Nirmal Assembly seat, and organised the meeting in support of the ruling party candidate though there was no formal electoral tie-up between the two parties for the December 7 Assembly elections.
The MIM is contesting eight seats—all in Hyderabad—while the TRS is going it alone in the polls to the 119-member assembly. Congress heading a ‘grand alliance’ of TDP, CPI and TJS has announced candidates for 94 segments.
“Now when this jalsa (meeting) is happening the Congress people tried to buy Asaduddin Owaisi. Maheshwar (Reddy) phoned a MIM leader telling him to stop Owaisi Saheb, (and) will give Rs 25 lakh party fund. I have the recording (of that phone conversation),” Owaisi said at the meeting.
This Congress candidate wants to buy my party for Rs 25 lakh. “Ye log samajthe hain ham apni jamat ka sauda karenge” (these people think we do deal for our party) Rs 25 lakh that is the sign of their arrogance,” the Hyderabad MP alleged.
Watch: Asaduddin Owaisi accuses Congress of offering him Rs 25 lakh bribe
Strongly refuting Owaisis allegations, Reddy dared Owaisi to prove the charge with evidence.
“Why should somebody stop someone’s rally. Owaisi has already started campaigning for TRS party and now this man says that he is being stopped with an offer of Rs 25 lakh. Why somebody will offer him Rs 25 lakh and why he will stop,” he told PTI.
“I want to make it very clear if really somebody had called him or met him or if he has any evidence let him show the evidences. I am ready to take it as a challenge and I am ready to quit politics if it is proved. Is he ready to quit politics, if it is untrue? he asked.
They were talking of something which was “baseless and false”, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
