Cong leaders pray on Good Friday to lure voters: YSR Cong

Accusing the Congress party of trying to lure voters in the name of religion, the Ysr Congress Party on Saturday brought to the notice of Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal that Congress leaders have attended special prayers in a Church to influence voters.

The Ysr Congress Party leaders told the CEO that Congress candidate and Health Minister Dr D L Ravindra Reddy, along with his colleagues Wakf Minister Syed Ahmedullah, Housing Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, Rural Development Minister Dokka Manikya Varaprasad, and District Congress Committee leader Ashok Kumar attended a meeting in a church in Siddavaram mandal, Kadapa district on Good Friday to influence the voters.

Terming it as violation of the Election Code, the YSR Congress leaders later told media persons at the Secretariat that under the guise of the religion, the Congress was seeking votes and favoured action against them.

It was also alleged that both the Congress and the TDP candidates were distributing cash to the voters.

The TDP also started using the media vehicles for transporting their supporters and workers. This was a gross violation of the Election Code, they told the CEO and asked him to initiate action against the party.

Out of the total 9,200 bind over cases filed so far in Kadapa district, 90 percent cases were filed against Ysr Congress Party cadre at the instance of government machinery, the leaders alleged.

The YSR Congress activists were being called to the police station under the pretext of counselling and were subjected to severe harassment, they said.

Even the supporters of YSR Congress were being harassed the party leaders stated. Cases were being filed against them, they added.

In Chadivirally village on Saturday, a 70 year old lady, Mallela Ramalaksmama, along with her family was made party in a case, the YSR Party delegation alleged.