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Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader T. Harish Rao wrote a letter to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday regarding former BRS MLA Danam Nagender. In his letter, Rao questioned Nagender's decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections using an official B-Form issued by the Indian National Congress.
In his letter, Rao criticised Rahul Gandhi for what he described as "double standards" regarding democratic values. He alleged that while Gandhi frequently champions the protection of the Constitution and democratic institutions in the national arena, the Congress party's actions in Telangana, where it currently holds power, stand in direct contradiction to those principles. "You travel across the country proclaiming that you are fighting to protect the Constitution. In Parliament, in public meetings, and in political campaigns, you repeatedly claim that safeguarding constitutional values is the central mission of the Congress party. Your party's 2024 election manifesto also promised to strengthen democratic institutions and uphold the anti-defection framework to protect the mandate of the people. However, what is happening in Telangana exposes a glaring contradiction between what you preach nationally and what your party practices where it holds power Mr. Danam Nagender, elected as an MLA on the ticket of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), openly contested the Lok Sabha election using an official Congress B-Form issued by the Indian National Congress. This is not speculation. This is not hearsay. This is a matter of public record," said Rao. The BRS leader said that he will seek action against the former BRS MLA under the anti-defection provisions. He accused Congress of allegedly protecting political defections and weaken the mandate of the voters. "Yet the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, belonging to your party, claims that there is "no evidence of defection." If contesting an election on a Congress B-Form while being an MLA of another party is not evidence of defection, then the country deserves to know: What exactly is evidence of defection under the Tenth Schedule? Is this how the Congress party protects the Constitution? Is this the "constitutional morality" you lecture the nation about?," said Rao. "As the Deputy Floor Leader of the BRS Legislature Party in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, I have already written to the Speaker placing these facts on record and seeking immediate action under the anti-defection provisions. Unfortunately, instead of defending the Constitution, the Congress government in Telangana appears determined to protect political defections and weaken the mandate of the voters. The anti-defection law exists to protect democracy from exactly this kind of political opportunism," added Rao. He further asserted that the Constitution must be upheld through concrete actions rather than mere rhetoric. "Will you advise your party's Chief Minister and the Speaker in Telangana to immediately act against Mr. Danam Nagender under the anti-defection law? Or should the country conclude that the Congress party speaks about the Constitution only when it suits its politics? The people of Telangana, and indeed the nation, deserve an honest answer. The Constitution cannot be defended through speeches alone. It must be upheld through actions, especially when it is politically inconvenient," asserted Rao. (ANI)
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