Practice what you preach: Harish Rao targets Rahul Gandhi over MLAs defection in Telangana

Senior BRS leader T Harish Rao criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing the party of double standards in upholding the Constitution and the Anti-Defection Law. Rao highlighted the dismissal of disqualification petitions against defected MLAs in Telangana.

Hyderabad: BRS Legislature Party deputy leader T Harish Rao targeted Congress Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi over the double standards of the Congress in protecting the Constitution and the Anti-defection law.

He said the dismissal of disqualification petitions filed against 10 defected MLAs in Telangana exposed a glaring contradiction between what Rahul Gandhi preaches nationally and what the Congress practices where it holds power.

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In an open letter to the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha on Friday, Harish Rao said Rahul Gandhi repeatedly claimed at the national level that the Congress is committed to safeguarding the Constitution and strengthening democratic institutions. He reminded that the party’s 2024 election manifesto also promised to uphold the anti-defection framework to protect the mandate of voters.

However, he said the situation in Telangana presented a glaring contradiction between the Congress’s public stand and its actions in a State where it is in power.

Referring to the case of Danam Nagender, the BRSLP deputy leader said the MLA, who was elected on a BRS ticket, had openly contested the Lok Sabha elections using an official Congress B-Form issued by the party. He said this was a matter of public record and not a matter of political interpretation.

“Yet the Speaker of the Telangana Assembly, who belongs to the Congress, has stated that there is no evidence of defection. If contesting an election on another party’s B-Form is not defection, the country deserves to know what qualifies as defection under the Tenth Schedule,” he said in the letter.

Harish Rao stated that he had earlier written to the Speaker placing the facts on record and seeking action under the anti-defection provisions, but alleged that the State government was trying to protect defected legislators instead of defending constitutional norms.

He said the Anti-Defection law was enacted to prevent political opportunism and to safeguard the mandate given by voters. He warned that allowing legislators to switch parties without consequences weakens democratic institutions.

Questioning the Congress leadership directly, Harish Rao asked whether Rahul Gandhi would advise the Telangana Chief Minister and the Speaker to act against the MLA under the law, or whether the party’s commitment to the Constitution was limited to speeches. “The Constitution cannot be defended through words alone. It must be upheld through action, even when it is politically inconvenient,” he said.