SC verdict on Danam Nagender disqualification gives BRS fresh political ammunition: BRS
Hyderabad, Sept 24 (TNT): The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the disqualification of former Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender has given the BRS fresh political ammunition against the ruling Congress in Telangana, with BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Nagender’s plea challenging the Telangana High Court order disqualifying him under the anti-defection law.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant found no ground to interfere with the High Court’s decision.
Nagender had won the Khairatabad Assembly seat on a BRS ticket in 2023, later joined the Congress and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Secunderabad on a Congress ticket while continuing as an MLA.
The High Court had disqualified him with effect from April 23, 2024, and declared the Khairatabad seat vacant.
Reacting to the verdict, KTR described it as a “supreme slap” to Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy and alleged that the Congress leadership had attempted to secure political advantage through defections.
KTR alleged that Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy believed they could “steal a mandate through defections and hide behind the Speaker”.
He said the verdict had exposed what he described as an attempt to protect defections through the office of the Speaker.
The BRS leader also sought to turn the court verdict into a political issue ahead of the proposed Khairatabad by-election, saying the people of the constituency would give their verdict on what he described as “three years of betrayal, broken promises and misrule”.
The verdict has also intensified the political focus on defections in Telangana, where the BRS has been pursuing disqualification petitions against MLAs who moved to the Congress.
The Supreme Court’s ruling leaves the High Court’s decision on Nagender’s disqualification intact.
KTR further said the Khairatabad episode could have wider political implications, remarking, “One wicket down — more to follow soon.”
He ended his post with a direct attack on Rahul Gandhi, referring to him as “MLA Chor @RahulGandhi.”
TNT TS
