BJP's Operation Akarsh goes awry
(From L to R) The four TRS legislators who were allegedly invited to join BJP - Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy (Kollapur), Guvvala Balaraju (Achampet), Rega Kantha Rao (Khammam) and Pilot Rohit Reddy (Tandur)
Hyderabad:The BJP Operation Akarsh seems to have backfired badly. In a sensational operation, the city police raided a farmhouse in Moinabad on the city outskirts and arrested three persons, including a Swamiji from Tirupati. The arrested are Nandakumar, Ramachandra Bharati and Simhayajulu. Nandakumar is a Hyderabad-based businessman and BJP leader.
According to Cyberabad police commissioner Stephen Ravindra, Ramachandra Bharati was from Faridabad and is said to be a priest in a temple there. They are all alleged to be working on behalf of the BJP to lure four TRS MLAs.
Ravindra said as per preliminary information they got from the MLAs who were being lured to quit TRS and join BJP. They offered Rs 100 crore per MLA. The MLAs with whom those arrested were negotiating were G Balaraju, Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy, Rega Kanta Rao and Pilot Rohit Reddy.
They were promised huge money, contracts and important party posts. It is learnt that BJP leaders had held discussions with them for the past few days. Rega Kanta Rao, it is being claimed, informed KCR who told him to take the issue forward and trap them.
During the deal interactions, one of the poachers tried to reach out to Amit Shah, but could not get to him. However, he could speak with an aide of Shah. All this happenings were recorded by the police, it is learnt. These MLAs met at 4 pm in the farm house and a little later the police raided the farm house and arrested those who came for negotiating with these MLAs.
The police are yet to find out how the money was brought to the farmhouse? Whether it was brought directly or through hawala transfer?
The TRS is now planning to make this as a major poll issue pushing the BJP into self-defence. In the first reaction, TRS leader Balka Suman said the saffron party is working in a fascist manner and was working against the constitution. BJP had been pulling down governments in Maharashtra, Karnataka and other states. BJP which did not do anything for the state was trying to buy our MLAs but has been caught red-handed. If you try to play with KCR you will be in trouble. He said TRS is proud of their MLAs for exposing BJP's dirty politics.
He said Telangana people will never become 'Gulams' of Gujarati leaders. They can buy people like Rajagopal Reddy by giving Rs 18,000 crore contracts to TRS MLAs.