Both Modi, KCR engineering defections, says Mohammed Ali Shabbir

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Monday alleged that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao have no respect for the Constitution and both have committed the offence of encouraging defections in Opposition parties. "While Modi has engineered defections in several States like Goa, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra to topple elected governments, CM KCR gained strength in Telangana by encouraging defections since 2014," said Shabbir Ali.

The senior Congress leader pointed out that KCR made four MPs, 25 MLAs and 18 MLCs of Opposition Congress, TDP and BSP defect to TRS during the first two years of power since June 2014. He used the same tactic to weaken the Opposition Congress by engineering defection of 12 MLAs in the second term. "Since KCR hates Dalits, he never wanted an SC leader (Bhatti Vikramarka) to become a leader of Opposition.

Therefore, he made 12 Congress MLAs defect and join TRS," he added. He said KCR openly bribed the Congress and TDP MLAs by giving them a berth in his cabinet or offering them other posts and money. "KCR was able to engineer defections at such a large scale as he enjoyed the blessings of Modi. KCR made 12 Congress MLAs defect to TRS in three months," said Shabbir.