Telangana Congress staged a Satyagraha protest at Gandhi Bhavan against the rejection of the Rajya Sabha nomination of Telangana Congress in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan.

The protest, organised under the banner of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan, saw the participation of TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan All India chairman Sunil Panwar and AICC secretary Sachin Sawant among MLAs and MLCs.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Mahesh Kumar Goud accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions and constitutional values. Referring to the rejection of Ms. Natarajan’s nomination, the TPCC chief alleged that she had been treated unfairly by the Returning Officer in handling the nomination process. He also drew comparisons with instances in other States where candidates were allegedly given opportunities to rectify deficiencies in nomination papers.

Defending the legacy of the Congress, Mr. Goud said the Nehru-Gandhi family had made immense sacrifices for the nation and accused the BJP of spreading misinformation about former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Asserting that Congress remained committed to protecting democratic values, Mr. Goud expressed confidence that the party would continue to enjoy public support in Telangana and return to power in future elections.