Hyderabad

AICC in-charge of Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan dismissed rumours of an internal conspiracy within the Congress on her nomination being rejected in Madhya Pradesh, asserting that no party leader had any reason to work against her. The BJP began spreading these rumours a day before the nomination was rejected, she alleged.

Responding to speculation that a Telangana Congress leader might resign to facilitate her entry into the Rajya Sabha, Ms. Natarajan categorically denied the reports. “No one in Telangana is resigning for me. These reports are completely baseless,” she said, adding that her political work would continue in Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Sunday, she alleged that the BJP resorted to unfair political tactics in the rejection of her Rajya Sabha nomination and accused election authorities of compromising the democratic process. She had refrained from speaking extensively on the issue as the matter was before the courts. However, she asserted that Congress was never disappointed by the rejection, as the episode had “exposed the BJP’s political methods before the nation.”

She said the BJP, despite lacking the numbers to win a third seat, fielded a candidate as part of a “foul game plan.” “After realising that it could not secure the third seat through legitimate means, the BJP attempted to influence the outcome through pressure and money power,” she alleged.

Both the Returning Officers and the Election Commission had acted in a compromised manner, she said.

Referring to the legal dispute surrounding her nomination, she maintained such cases did not require disclosure in Form 26 and said she had clarified the facts when questioned by the Returning Officer. The Congress leader further alleged that the developments vindicated concerns repeatedly raised by Rahul Gandhi over alleged “vote theft” and “seat theft” in the electoral process over the past two years.