Oppn leader Vikramarka to go on yatra over TRS 'encouraging'

Senior Congress leader and leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Assembly M Bhatti Vikramarka Saturday said he would undertake a "save democracy yatra" from tomorrow in protest against the ruling TRS allegedly encouraging defection of Congress MLAs.

He said the yatra would begin from the temple town of Bhadrachalam and cover the constituencies of the 11 of the 19 party MLAs, who had announced their decision to quit the party and join the ruling TRS.

Hitting out at the TRS for allegedly promoting defections, the Congress had met Governor E S L Narasimhan twice on the matter.

The party hadalso said it would complain to the newly constituted Lokpal on the alleged defection of MLAs.

"Both Telangana state Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, TRS working president K T Rama Rao, who took the oath owing allegiance to the Constitution, are encouraging defections in a brazen manner with an aim to wipe out the opposition in the state," Vikramarka said in a letter, released to the media.

"As leader of the opposition, I need to raise my voice against these tyrannical tendencies,which will prove costly to the very existence of the democracy in the country," he said.

TRS had earlier hit out at the Congress, referring to instances of public representatives from other parties joining Congress.

TRS sources earlier said they are not making efforts to attract opposition Congress MLAs.

Congress had won 19 seats in the 119-member house in the Assembly elections held in December last.

TRS returned to power with a thumping majority, winning 88 seats.