Telangana BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar today said that the TRS would win the Huzurabad seat in any future elections in the constituency even if former Health Minister Etala Rajender resigned from the party, just by "using the photograph" of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
Speaking to the media, the minister claimed that Rajender's resignation would not disadvantage the ruling party in any way as it would still win the Huzurabad seat, currently held by the latter who was
removed from the state Cabinet over land encroachment charges some days ago.
"Our CM sacked Etala Rajender after serious charges of land grabbing were made against him by landowners in the Medak area and a probe was conducted to investigate the same. If the action taken against him prompts the leader to leave the TRS and step down as MLA, the decision will not be harmful to our party as following his resignation, we will retain the seat easily in a by-election. Rajender may be a senior leader but he is like a drop in the ocean that is the TRS," Kamalakar asserted.
He also slammed the ousted leader for making
unsavoury comments about the TRS and its leaders, and added, "It is in poor form to criticise the party that has supported one's political growth the minute the same party's high command takes action against you on valid grounds. Rajender had clearly resorted to anti-party activities, which is what has led to this current situation."
"As I said, if Rajender resigns from his post as Huzurabad MLA, as he has said he might, we will field a strong and deserving candidate and retain the seat with ease. Just using CM KCR's photo will be enough for this. We have an incredibly strong support base in the region," the minister reiterated.
After Rajender, another senior leader of the pink party, Labour Minister Malla Reddy, has also become embroiled in an encroachment controversy.
When reports stating that Reddy had been involved in the encroachment of endowment lands at Devarayamjal surfaced, various prominent faces, including Malkajigiri MP A Revanth Reddy and former MP V Hanumantha Rao, both Congress leaders,
called out the KCR regime for "singling out" a long-serving leader like Rajender while ignoring charges against other party members and ministers. They have demanded that other TRS leaders involved in land grabbing also be investigated and punished appropriately.