A political controversy erupted on Tuesday after Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya alleged that he received details of a pending case against All India Congress Committee (AICC) Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan from Congress leaders in Telangana. However, the Congress party refuted the claim, stating that no such case ever existed against Natarajan.
Congress Clarifies the Allegations
Countering the Bharatiya Janata Party's assertion, the Congress clarified that a woman from another party had approached senior Congress leaders in the state, including Natarajan, alleging sexual assault by a Congress functionary. The woman subsequently filed a private petition in a local court, claiming that despite bringing the matter to their attention, neither Natarajan nor other senior leaders took any action against the accused.
Meenakshi Natarajan's Response
Meenakshi Natarajan has filed a counter to the allegations before the court. Advocate K Santosh Kumar, who filed the counter, stated, "The woman's private petition is pending before the court and no directions have been given yet." Congress leaders also emphasized that Natarajan never met the accused and has no connection with the case mentioned by the woman.
Reactions from Telangana Leaders
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other ministers reacted strongly to the BJP's claim. They accused the BJP of resorting to "seat chori" after previously being involved in "vote chori" and the SIR controversy. They alleged that Natarajan's nomination was rejected due to a conspiracy by the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Revanth Reddy posted on X, "This is an assault on democracy. Peoples' voices are being stifled. This is a dark day for Indian democracy and needs to be condemned by all citizens. We will all fight for justice."
TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was working in favour of the BJP. "People are watching the dirty politics of the BJP. The Congress will fight legally against BJP's conspiracy and the ECI supporting it," he said.
Tourism minister Jupally Krishna Rao emphasized that elections must be conducted in a transparent, fair, and impartial manner. He expressed concern over what he termed the targeting of opposition leaders and Congress representatives through such actions. "Instead of winning the confidence of the people, attempts to secure political gain through undemocratic means only expose the ruling party's fear and insecurity," he added.
