EC must register case against KTR, says minister Ponam Prabhakar
HYDERABAD: Minister Ponam Prabhakar on Friday demanded that the Election Commission take suo motu action and register a case against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K T Rama Rao for his alleged statement asking voters to “collect ₹5,000 per vote” in Jubilee Hills.
He said the remark reflected “the arrogance of wealth acquired through ten years of rule” and amounted to an attempt to buy voters. “We are filing a complaint with the Election Commission on behalf of the Congress party. The Commission should take up the matter on its own and register a case against KTR,” Prabhakar said.
He alleged that “everyone knows the BRS culture” of distributing money during polls, recalling the “₹6,000 per vote” practice during the Huzurabad bypoll. “We are seeking votes based on people’s trust and our record of development,” he said.
He listed the Congress government’s welfare schemes 200 units of free power, gas at ₹500, new ration cards, fine rice distribution, free bus travel for women, interest-free loans and new job opportunities and said the administration was committed to fair governance.
Prabhakar said Jubilee Hills voters were discerning and would “elect the Congress candidate just as voters did in the Cantonment bypoll.” He sought support for party nominee Naveen Yadav, describing him as “an educated and capable person.”
He criticised the BRS and BJP for “joining hands to stop the Congress,” adding, “The BJP has fielded a candidate who could not even cross three digits. A vote for BRS will go to BJP and a vote for BJP will help BRS.”
“The party that tells voters to take ₹5,000 per vote has reached a pitiable state. People should reject such politics and vote for development,” he said.
