Botsa accuses Jagan of horse trading

The Congress Party on Thursday has shown the exit door to all 26 rebel MLAs who have resigned from their posts in favour of Jagan Mohan Reddy. 

Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana has confirmed that the rebel MLAs’ resignation from party’s primary membership has been accepted. It means that the Congress, instead of reconciliatory, adopted a confrontation mode with the YSR Congress Party and anyone support it will be shown the door.  

Botsa Satyanarayana said that Speaker Nadendla Manohar has to take a decision on their MLAs’ posts. The PCC chief accused the Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of resorting to horse-trading to destabilize Congress Government in the State.

Talking to reporters at Gandhi Bhavan here on Thursday, Botsa alleged that YSR Congress Party president Jagan has been trying to ‘purchase’ Congress MLAs by paying Rs 20 crore per head. However, he did not specify as to how many MLAs from his party got the offer, but it looks that the offer has many takers.

“The MLAs must think twice before accepting the bribe money from Jagan Mohan Reddy,” he said. “There is no need for the Congress Party to talk to them and bring them back to the party fold,” he clarified. 

Botsa said that the Congress was ready for mid-term elections and hoped that the people would teach a befitting lesson to all defectors by electing the Congress Party candidates with majority of votes. If the rebel MLAs win, he said, it would mean that the people have opened the gates for corruption in their constituencies. He said that the agenda for the Congress Party in next elections would be corruption, he stated.

Responding to former minister Jeevan Reddy’s query on why the government did not file counter petition to clear YSR’s name from CBI’s FIR in Jagan’s case, Botsa said “let Jagan Mohan Reddy, who claims to be the sole political heir of YSR, prove YSR as a spotless leader. If he fails, then the Congress Party will immediately file a petition in the court,” he said. He reiterated that Jagan could be the legal heir for YSR’s properties and wealth, but he could not claim heritance for his schemes and welfare programmes.