The Telangana Congress complained to the Election Commission against the Deeksha Divas observed by the BRS on Wednesday to mark the launch of the fast unto death by party supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao in 2009 calling it a violation of the silence period before the polling day.
Denying the allegation, the BRS pointed fingers at the Congress state president A Revanth Reddy, who visited the Birla Temple and offered the document on six poll guarantees before the deity.
Reddy also visited a dargah at Nampally with key leaders of the party.
According to the EC, all parties should cease their electioneering 48 hours before the polling day which is called the silence period.
Telangana will vote tomorrow. However, the BRS milked the occasion of Deeksha Diwas by not only holding a blood donation camp at party headquarters which was attended by the working president KT Rama Rao but also leaders and supporters also posted photographs of a frail party president on social media.
KCR had called off his fast after 11 days in 2009 only after the Union government caved in and gave into his demand for a separate state. BRS working president denied the charge and said that there was no violation.
“I am inside the party office. As the party’s executive functionary, I am the working president of BRS. I am entitled to work with the party cadre inside my party office. I don’t think there is anything that forbids me from doing that,” said KT Rama Rao, adding that the EC can serve him a notice if it was otherwise.
G Niranjan, vice-president of the Telangana Congress wrote in his complaint, “KT Rama Rao, BRS working president is violating the rules which applies during the silence period and has given a call to BRS cadre to observe Deeksha Divas today throughout the state and to conduct programmes.”
The Congress also complained that his appeal to observe Deeksha Divas was being telecast in a particular vernacular channel along with photographs of KCR. Objecting to the blood donation camp the Opposition party said it was a violation of the Section 144 imposed in the city.
Sravan Dasoju, a BRS leader wondered if the EC was “blind” and added, “Why no action against Revanth Reddy despite his blatant and brazen efforts to violate MCC?”