Hyderabad, February 11 BJP leader and Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday alleged that the Congress government in Telangana is attempting to win the municipal elections by issuing threats to political opponents.
He met the family members of E Mahadevappa, a BJP candidate for a councillor's post in Makthal town in Narayanpet district, who allegedly committed suicide on February 10. The BJP blamed the ruling Congress for the incident.
Speaking to reporters, Reddy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed him to meet and reassure the family of the deceased.
He said he raised the issue of Mahadevappa's death in parliament and spoke in Telugu on Tuesday. Modi asked him the reason for speaking in Telugu, and he told the PM about the incident, Reddy said.
"…The Congress is trying to hide people's disappointment with the government after the CM's tour. The attempt to win (the municipal elections taking place on Wednesday) through threats is taking place across Telangana," he alleged.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is allegedly trying to threaten BJP leaders from "the Prime Minister to Mahadevappa," he alleged.
The ruling Congress leaders attempted to win by threatening the BJP and its candidate, as the saffron party secured a majority of over 570 votes in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 from the ward where Mahadevappa was a candidate in the municipal polls, Reddy said.
The union minister deplored the alleged suicide of the BJP candidate taking place in the Chief Minister's native district.
Reddy handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to the family members of Mahadevappa as financial assistance and assured them of support, BJP sources said.
The BJP alleged that "harassment and intimidation" by the Congress leaders drove the candidate belonging to the Schedule Tribe (ST) to take the extreme step.
In response, the Congress said the saffron leaders are trying to derive political mileage out of the incident by blaming the ruling dispensation.
