BRS working president KT Rama on Tuesday alleged that the Congress was using police to threaten his party MLAs to force them to join the ruling party. This came after the tenth BRS MLA G Mahipal Reddy joined the Congress on Monday, just days after the Enforcement Directorate raided his properties.

A war of words began between the political parties over the defection of BRS MLAs to Congress, with the AIMIM and BJP also jumping into the fray.

A delegation of BRS MLAs, led by party working president KT Rama Rao, on Tuesday met the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, Gaddam Prasad Kumar, demanding the disqualification of the truant MLAs who were leaving the party after being elected on the BRS symbol for the Congress.

In their petition, the BRS MLAs cited recent directions of the High Court and Supreme Court on turncoat MLAs. They pointed out that, according to the direction of the Supreme Court, the Speaker must take a decision on disqualification within three months. While they had already petitioned against Danam Nagender, the first to break ranks, they also submitted a petition for disqualifying the remaining nine MLAs.

“We hope that the Speaker will take a decision soon on the disqualification of defected MLAs. If he fails to take a decision, we will approach the Supreme Court,” said KT Rama Rao. It may be pointed out that the Congress needs 26 BRS MLAs to form a splinter group and merge with the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) to avoid disqualification.

Later, Rao alleged that a couple of MLAs joined the Congress because they were facing life threats. “Police are calling up a couple of MLAs, saying their life is in danger, their business will be raided, or they will not get any funds to develop their constituencies. Whatever the Congress accuses Modiji of — intimidating and threatening people, weaponising institutions — the same thing Congress is doing in Telangana,” alleged KT Rama Rao, who had earlier suggested that the BRS MLAs were being purchased by the Congress.

Meanwhile, the BJP criticised Congress and BRS for playing the same game whenever they are in power. Union Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday wrote on ‘X,’ “Mr Rahul Gandhi your promises cannot gloss over this blatant political opportunism! The people of Bharat are watching.”

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also cited reports wondering whether BRS will merge with the BJP or it will form an alliance with the saffron party. However, he rued that the BJP was going to be stronger in the Telangana region. The BRS not only dismissed such conjectures it also lashed out at Owaisi. “The joint ally of Congress and BJP questioning if BRS will ally with some party is undoubtedly the joke of the millenium,” Konatham Dileep, a close aide of KTR, said.