By filing a defamation suit against Telangana State Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy for linking him to the drugs scandal, Telangana’s cabinet minister K. T. Rama Rao has sent a clear message to the opposition leaders for their continued diatribe.
Political analysts say the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president has tried to convey to the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief in clear terms that the ruling party is no longer ready to take the slander lying down.
Realizing that mere war of words on Twitter and challenges and counter challenges will not be enough, Rama Rao approached the court to rein in Revanth Reddy.
KTR, as the minister is popularly known, received immediate relief as the City Civil Court passed interim orders directing Revanth Reddy not to make any statement linking him to the drugs scandal.
The court passed an interim injunction restraining Revanth Reddy and his agents or any person representing him from making any further derogatory, libelous or scandalous statements either by way of print or electronic media and/ or in public or in private including social media and the Internet linking KTR with the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate in the drugs scandal.
According to the minister, the defamation suit is a result of various baseless, scurrilous, and manifestly false statements and allegations made against him by Revanth Reddy. He denied any links with those accused in the drugs scandal.
Liberty has also been reserved in the suit for instituting further criminal proceedings and for payment of compensatory damages for such serious and malicious acts of defamation.
KTR, son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, was irked by Revanth Reddy linking him to a drugs case currently being probed by the Enforcement Directorate with the questioning of several Telugu films personalities this month for alleged money laundering. The Congress leaders had even branded KTR ‘brand ambassador of drugs’.
While continuing to politically counter the opposition, the TRS has made up its mind to crack the whip if opposition leaders ‘cross their limit’ by resorting to ‘baseless’ allegations against chief minister or other top leaders.
Recently, KTR also threatened that the government will not hesitate to book sedition cases against those trying to defame Telangana’s growth and belittle its achievements with false figures and allegations.
He took strong exception to some opposition leaders making statements loaded with personal abuses against the chief minister.
The state is already witnessing a sharp exchange of words, allegations, and counter-allegations, and leaders throwing challenges at each other.
A bitter critic of the chief minister and his family, Revanth Reddy launched ‘white challenge’ apparently to put the government in a tight spot.
He challenged KTR to come forward to undergo drug tests along with him. He also threw a challenge at former MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who readily accepted it and reached the venue and time announced by Revanth Reddy.
KTR, however, tried to turn tables on Revanth by stating that he is ready to give his samples for drug tests if AICC leader Rahul Gandhi also comes forward to give his samples. He also remarked that it’s below his dignity to undergo the tests with what he calls Cherlapalli jail alumni. He was apparently referring to Revanth Reddy’s arrest in note for vote scam of 2015.