KTR breathes fire at Congress in Palair

Turning what should have been a quiet unanimous election into a battle at the hustings, Telangana IT Minister K. Taraka Ramarao breathed fire at the Congress, telling his party cadre not to sleep till the Grand Old Party was wiped out from the State. The Palair byelection was caused by the death of Ramreddy Venkatreddy who was Public Accounts Committee Chairman and belonged to the Congress. His wife, Sucharita Reddy, has been fielded by the Congress which sought her unanimous election as per the norm. But the ruling TRS made it a prestige issue for the party by fielding Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao. The TDP and the YCP decided not to field their candidates in the Palair fray. Against this background, KTR wondered how the TDP, which came into existence to oppose the Congress, could fight along with Sucharita Reddy. He said the alliance of the Congress, TDP and the YCP for Palair bypoll showed the poltical bankruptcy of these parties. KTR noted that the Palair byelection had come under unusual circumstances, but the opposition parties were involved in shady deals there. He said Tummala's success would be given as a gift to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.