11-23-2006, 05:55 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Cong 'caught' luring Karimnagar voters</b>
Omer Farooq
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti's fears about Congress' machinations to
lure voters in Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency through money and other
gifts came 'true' on Tuesday when a group of its activists foiled one such bid.Â
Led by its legislator T Harish Rao, a TRS team caught a van ferrying 500
cricket kit bags each costing Rs 500 and Rs 500,000 in cash. The vehicle was
intercepted at Sultanpur village in Timmapur mandal while it was on its way to
Karimnagar.   <b>To their shock, the team also discovered that the person at
the wheel was the driver of Right to Information Commissioner K Sudhakar Rao. </b>
He told the TRS workers that he had been sent by Rao.  The entire
operation was carried out in the presence of electronic media that had been
alerted by the TRS in advance.  Later angry party workers set the cricket kits on
fire. Ironically both Sudhakar Rao and Harish Rao are close relatives of TRS
president and Karimnagar by-election candidate K Chandrasekhara Rao.  The
500 kits were purchased for Rs 1,47,500 from Sachdev Sports shop in Hyderabad.
<b>A receipt in the name of the State Congress committee was recovered from the
van. </b>What is not clear is how the TRS men had advance information about the
cricket kits and cash and how they were able to zero in on that particular
van.  Tirumala Rao, one of the two persons caught by TRS workers, revealed
that <b>he was bringing the material from Gandhi Bhavan, the State Congress
headquarters.  </b>
Admitting that he was Sudhakar Rao's driver, he said that he
was taking the consignment to the house of Markfed Chairman P Prabhakar in
Karimnagar. He also revealed that the <b>RTI commissioner had given him Rs 500,000 cash with an instruction to hand it over to one Anil in Sircilla</b>.  Sudhakar Rao was quick to deny any involvement in the episode and said it was a
deliberate attempt by the TRSÂ in which his driver was also used. He also denied
any links with the Congress. However, a criminal case was registered against him
and his driver arrested. Â
The entire episode has created a flutter in political circle and all the major opposition parties have demanded action against the RTI Commissioner.  TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the Congress was resorting to massive irregularities including misuse of power and money to win the by-poll and this was just the tip of the ice-berg. The CPI and the CPI(M) have also made similar allegations.
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Omer Farooq
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti's fears about Congress' machinations to
lure voters in Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency through money and other
gifts came 'true' on Tuesday when a group of its activists foiled one such bid.Â
Led by its legislator T Harish Rao, a TRS team caught a van ferrying 500
cricket kit bags each costing Rs 500 and Rs 500,000 in cash. The vehicle was
intercepted at Sultanpur village in Timmapur mandal while it was on its way to
Karimnagar.   <b>To their shock, the team also discovered that the person at
the wheel was the driver of Right to Information Commissioner K Sudhakar Rao. </b>
He told the TRS workers that he had been sent by Rao.  The entire
operation was carried out in the presence of electronic media that had been
alerted by the TRS in advance.  Later angry party workers set the cricket kits on
fire. Ironically both Sudhakar Rao and Harish Rao are close relatives of TRS
president and Karimnagar by-election candidate K Chandrasekhara Rao.  The
500 kits were purchased for Rs 1,47,500 from Sachdev Sports shop in Hyderabad.
<b>A receipt in the name of the State Congress committee was recovered from the
van. </b>What is not clear is how the TRS men had advance information about the
cricket kits and cash and how they were able to zero in on that particular
van.  Tirumala Rao, one of the two persons caught by TRS workers, revealed
that <b>he was bringing the material from Gandhi Bhavan, the State Congress
headquarters.  </b>
Admitting that he was Sudhakar Rao's driver, he said that he
was taking the consignment to the house of Markfed Chairman P Prabhakar in
Karimnagar. He also revealed that the <b>RTI commissioner had given him Rs 500,000 cash with an instruction to hand it over to one Anil in Sircilla</b>.  Sudhakar Rao was quick to deny any involvement in the episode and said it was a
deliberate attempt by the TRSÂ in which his driver was also used. He also denied
any links with the Congress. However, a criminal case was registered against him
and his driver arrested. Â
The entire episode has created a flutter in political circle and all the major opposition parties have demanded action against the RTI Commissioner.  TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the Congress was resorting to massive irregularities including misuse of power and money to win the by-poll and this was just the tip of the ice-berg. The CPI and the CPI(M) have also made similar allegations.
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