Hyderabad: BRS MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy on Sunday offered to resign if BJP State president Bandi Sanjay and BJP MLA M Raghunandan Rao proved his involvement in the Karnataka drugs case or that he had received any police notice in this connection. Though he dared Sanjay to take a pledge at Sri Bhagyalakshmi temple at Charminar on Sunday at 10 am, the latter did not turn up.
The Tandur MLA, who is the complainant in the MLA poaching case against the BJP, had visited the temple on Saturday and pledged that he had not received any notice from the Karnataka police in the drugs case. He said that no FIR or case was registered against him in such a case and challenged Sanjay to reach the temple and prove his allegations by taking a pledge before the Goddess.
“By not turning up at the temple, Bandi Sanjay has admitted to have uttered lies before the people. If he really has proof that I was served the notice, why is he not coming here to take a pledge?” he asked. He had even expressed his readiness to take an oath at the Vemulawada Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple, Tandur Bhadreswara Swamy or any other temple. He dared Sanjay and Raghunandan Rao to prove their allegations or publicly apologise.
Rohit Reddy slammed the BJP for misusing Central agencies and targeting those, especially ruling party leaders in various States, who were not toeing their line without any evidence.
“The BJP is scared of the BRS and hence it is using the ED, CBI and IT against BRS leaders,” he said, adding that Bandi Sanjay was provoking youth in the name of Hindutva. He wanted to know why the BJP was supporting the accused in the MLA poaching case.
Stating that he would respond to the ED notice after seeking legal opinion, Rohit Reddy said Raghunandan Rao had threatened many industrialists in Patancheru area and blackmailed them to earn crores of rupees. He reminded that several people, including a woman, had lodged complaints against Raghunandan Rao, who had also supported some actors who were accused in drug cases in Hyderabad.