Ex-TRS founder accuses Telangana CM of constitutional impropriety (re-issue)

A former founding member of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, Farhat Ibrahim, on Friday, accused Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, members of his family and two state cabinet ministers - Talasani Srinivas Yadav and A. Indrakaran Reddy - of subverting the provisions of the Constitution of India, and demanded that they be prosecuted under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital this afternoon, Ibrahim said that since Rao had become chief minister, the dream of "Bangaru Telangana" has been shattered, and the sacrifices of thousands of students, farmers, employees and citizens from other walks of life have gone in vain.

Accusing Chief Minister Rao of making tall promises and not going beyond achieving the creation of a new state of Telangana, Mr. Ibrahim said that today there is a Constitutional breakdown in the state and nearly 700 farmers have committed suicide since he had assumed office.

He also accused Rao and his supporters of seeking to destroy the heritage and culture of Telangana, and of being a non-performing chief minister who was practicing a policy of divide and rule.

He was particular in mentioning that both Cabinet Ministers Yadav and Reddy had taken up their respective positions in the Telangana Government through back channel negotiations with the TRS chief.

He said that as far as Yadav was concerned, before the formation of the new state of Telangana, he was a member of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) till an hour before the swearing in of the Cabinet in the new state. Yadav, he said, was guilty of accepting gratification from the TRS.

Reddy on the other hand was guilty of facilitating the merger of the state unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with the TRS, and also guilty for accepting gratification from the latter.

The three of them - K. Chandrashekhar Rao, T.S. Yadav and A. Indrakaran Reddy - were therefore guilty of obtaining high status and accompanying privileges in violation of the Constitution and The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and there was enough evidence in the public domain to substantiate his claim.

Mr. Ibrahim said that he forwarded his complaint to the Governor of Telangana, and was awaiting his response. He said that if he failed to get a response from the Governor, he would seek an appointment with the President of India, and appeal to him to intervene and resolve the matter to the satisfaction of the aggrieved people of Telangana.

When asked whether he anticipated disciplinary action for his anti-party activities, Mr. Ibrahim confirmed that he was no longer a part of the TRS, and therefore, there was no question of him being subjected to that party's discipline.

He, however, said that his campaign to expose the misdeeds of the ruling dispensation in Telangana would be relentless and would continue till justice was delivered. He said that it would be his endeavor to establish a healthy and constructive opposition in the state, where all sections of society, including the media, would be allowed to have a voice on the way the state is run.