Even as she agreed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 11 March, BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Thursday asked why BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh evaded interrogation by the SIT in the MLA-poaching case in Telangana.

Kavitha categorically stated that Congress was not “untouchable” for pre-poll alliance and that the BRS only wanted to unite the Opposition and that it was “Congress which will have to decide its attitude and sincerity towards the country to join the other regional parties.”

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In a significant move, she thanked former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her contribution to the Women Reservation Bill at the very outset. Ahead of tomorrow’s day-long hunger strike over the Women Reservation Bill, she said 18 political parties confirmed their participation. The protest will be kicked off by CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury in the presence of Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena. Congress too has been invited to the protest.

The BRS MLC’s office claimed that in the middle of media interaction, the Delhi Police sent a request to change the venue of the protest. Kavitha indicated that the summons by the ED was a diversionary tactic ahead of her protest for implementation of the Women Reservation bill.

Taking on the ED, Kavitha said, “ED sent me notice saying I have to appear on 9 March. Then I pointed out that we have our programme on 10 March and told them I will be present on 16 March but I don’t know what was the rush, what danger was posed in the investigations of Delhi excise policy that they couldn’t grant me two days but they insisted. So I told them I will go on 11th March.”

She also pointed out that whenever ED or any other agency conducts probe as a woman citizen she had the right to be interrogated at her own residence but her request was ignored by the ED. “Please tell BL Santosh to come to Telangana and appear before the SIT,” Kavitha said challenging the BJP and wondering why he sought stay after stay, lodged case after case in the court.

Kavitha also indicated that she and her party colleagues were being targeted in the wake of Assembly elections to be held in Telangana in November-December. “From last June, Government of India has been constantly sending its agencies to Telangana. The question is why? Because Telangana Assembly polls are there in November and December. The modus operandi of BJP is that wherever there are elections before Modi comes the ED arrives.”

According to her, not only BRS leaders but the probe agencies were targeting others too. She claimed that IT raids were conducted at more than 500 business houses, some 100 CBI raids took place in Telangana while ED has conducted raids in at least 200 places and NIA summoned some 500-600 people to intimidate them.