Revanth Reddy demands Commission on poll expenditure

None of the BJP candidates had sold their properties to contest the elections, he said asking whether BJP leaders would take a vow at the Bhadrachalam Sri Rama temple that they had sold their properties to contest the elections.

Hyderabad: Alleging widespread misuse of power, especially in terms of electoral bonds, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy demanded the constitution of a Commission on the poll expenditure of the Congress, BRS and the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in the State.

Save for about two to three percent of candidates, the majority of candidates and parties were depending on funding through different sources.

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None of the BJP candidates had sold their properties to contest the elections, he said asking whether BJP leaders would take a vow at the Bhadrachalam Sri Rama temple that they had sold their properties to contest the elections.

“Let Prime Minister Narendra Modi order for the constitution of a commission over the poll expenditure and source of funds for the three parties. The Gandhi family sacrificed their assets for the nation,” Revanth Reddy said at the Meet the Press programme here on Friday.

He said between the Prime Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, the latter was a tough opponent in the State. “Chandrashekhar Rao is a local player and BJP lacks attitude towards Telangana and it is not a serious contender. Modiji is like a visiting professor,” Revanth Reddy said.

Expressing concern over the widening gap between South and North India, especially in terms of political and economical benefits, the Chief Minister said Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were being given priority over other States. Gujarat gets seven berths in the union cabinet and Uttar Pradesh gets 12 but Telugu States get only one berth, he pointed out.Many MNCs, which evinced interest to set up their units in Telangana, were diverted to Gujarat by Modi and Amit Shah.

“After Gujarat’s appetite was satisfied, other States should try to get investments from the spill over. After May 13, I will share the list of companies that shifted to Gujarat. By the way, Tesla is heading towards China,” Revanth Reddy said.

Similarly, a danger was lurking over south India with the proposed delimitation of constituencies. The delimitation should be done proportionately and not on a population basis. If it was done on population, south India would lose its relevance and would cast an adverse on southern States prospects, he said.

Slamming the BJP for its One Nation – One Election proposal, the Chief Minister said person centric politics would be detrimental to the nation’s interests. The Prime Minister himself had wanted 75 years to be the upper age limit for the position and had cunningly removed senior leader LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi from contention, he said. “Modiji is 74. Will step down after turning 75?” he asked.