K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) on Friday launched a strong attack on the Congress over the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination, alleging that the party itself was responsible for the circumstances that led to her disqualification and was now attempting to shift the blame elsewhere.
Natarajan's nomination from Madhya Pradesh was rejected after the Returning Officer ruled that her nomination papers were incomplete because they did not disclose details of a court case in Telangana. Natarajan and the Congress maintained that the matter involved only a legal notice and did not constitute a pending criminal case requiring disclosure. However, the Election Commission upheld the Returning Officer's decision, and the Supreme Court later declined to intervene, stating that any challenge should proceed through the remedies available under election law.
Reacting to the development, KTR alleged that the Congress should first determine who within the party leaked information related to the Telangana case and passed it on to BJP leaders, who subsequently raised the issue before the Returning Officer. According to him, Congress leaders were already aware of those responsible for working against Natarajan from within the party.
He urged Rahul Gandhi to identify what he described as "black sheep" within the Congress who were allegedly undermining the party's own candidates. At the same time, KTR said that Natarajan had been treated unfairly and argued that the Election Commission's decision was inconsistent with standards applied in other cases.
The BRS leader further claimed that reports of an internal conspiracy involving Telangana Congress leaders had surfaced and accused the Congress of having a long history of factionalism and internal rivalries. Referring to recent remarks by senior Congress leader Shabbir Ali, KTR alleged that influential positions within the party were often determined by money and political considerations rather than merit.
In a separate attack on the Telangana government, KTR criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, describing him as a "renewal Chief Minister" and alleging that his continuation in office depended on satisfying the Congress high command.
Responding to the allegations, Revanth Reddy rejected any suggestion of internal sabotage and instead blamed the BJP and the Returning Officer for Natarajan's setback. He accused the BJP of undermining democratic processes and alleged that the Returning Officer had been used as an instrument to disqualify the Congress candidate.
Reddy further described the controversy as a battle between Gandhian values and the ideology represented by Nathuram Godse, arguing that Natarajan symbolised democratic and Gandhian principles. He maintained that there was no internal conspiracy within the Congress and pointed out that there was no FIR against Natarajan, who was only named as a respondent in the Telangana matter.
Following the Supreme Court's refusal to grant relief, Natarajan said it was evident that a "seat theft" had occurred and vowed to continue the legal and political fight. She emphasised that the issue was larger than her personal candidature and concerned the health of democratic institutions and electoral processes in the country.
