Highlights
- The development comes ahead of the Munugode bypolls
- BRS legislators provided information to the police about the trio
- Police said the four MLAs were being offered cash, posts and other incentives to switch sides
Telangana: Three people were detained as police on Wednesday busted an attempt to lure four MLAs of the ruling BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi). The development comes ahead of the Munugode bypolls.
According to the police, they caught three people who were allegedly trying to lure four MLAs to leave Telangana Chief Minister KCR's party.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner Stephen Raveendra told reporters that BRS legislators provided information to them that the trio were trying to entice them with several offers.
The police official said the four TRS MLAs -- G Balaraju, B Harshavardhan Reddy, R Kantha Rao and Rohith Reddy were allegedly being offered cash, posts and other incentives to switch loyalties.
"We are inquiring into details like which party the three persons belong to," Raveendra said.
Meanwhile, Government Whip Balka Suman alleged that it is the handiwork of the BJP which is trying to lure TRS legislators.
"TRS party MLAs are soldiers of KCR and representatives of Telangana's self-respect has been proved once again," he said on his Twitter
handle.
Another BJP leader joins TRS
On Wednesday, BJP leader in Telangana Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar resigned from the primary membership of the party and joined the ruling BRS.
BRS working president and minister KT Rama Rao welcomed him into the party.
Bhaskar’s resignation comes close on the heels of two leaders - former Legislative Council chairman Swamy Goud and Sravan Dasoju - quitting BJP and joining the BRS.
In a letter to BJP president JP Nadda, Bhaskar asked the saffron party if it has been adhering to the principle of positive secularism.
“While parting from your party, it will not be decent for me to blame, but, humbly call upon you all to honestly introspect. Nothing but striving is must,” he said in the letter.
He alleged he was ignored, humiliated, underrated and excluded in national role.
Bhaskar served as a Rajya Sabha member between 2012 and 2018 when he was in the Congress.
Recently, he met TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragati Bhavan, the Chief Minister's camp office-cum-official residence here, and expressed keenness to join the ruling party.
Expressing disappointment at the NDA government imposing GST on handloom products, Bhaskar told Rao that he cannot tolerate this as he belonged to a family which is into handlooms.
The former Rajya Sabha member resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP in 2019.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also Read | K Chandrashekar Rao changed TRS name to BRS on advice of 'Tantriks': Nirmala Sitharaman
