PCC disciplinary panel to probe Rajgopal’s anti-CM jibe

Hyderabad: A day after Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy made allegations against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy about dearth of funds and the ‘indifference’ meted out to his constituency, PCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud gave the green light to the party’s disciplinary action committee (DAC) to deeply examine the issue. The PCC chief said that the committee was tasked to first examine the context in which the MLA had spoken before initiating any further action.

Speaking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan here on Saturday, Goud said that the matter would be examined ‘thoroughly’ by the panel, which would be headed by Mallu Ravi.

“I believe he was talking about lack of funds to his constituency, when compared to funds allocated to constituencies of Ministers,” Goud opined.

Incidentally, the MLA’s outbursts on the Independence Day were not the first time he was speaking so, but the way he used the public event allegedly to ‘tarnish’ Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s image did not go down well with the party leadership. The MLA had on several earlier occasions accused Revanth Reddy of failure to fulfil his promise of accommodating him in the cabinet, squarely blaming the present administration for delays in development projects pertaining to Munugode.

In his address at Ellagiri village in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district on Friday night, while unveiling the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajgopal Reddy expressed frustration over the stalled works in his constituency.

"You take the posts, but do you also take the money? Take the positions but pay the contractors who have done the work. Don't render injustice to the people of Munugode," he said.

“The contractor is refusing to continue the works on the Veligonda–Choutuppal road project because bills have not been cleared. These clearances require the Chief Minister’s approval. That is why I raised this concern directly to him. I am neither criticising the Chief Minister nor the party,” he clarified.

His behaviour now follows a familiar pattern, one that has embarrassed the party leaders. After each attack on Revanth Reddy for denying him a cabinet berth, the MLA concludes his speeches by pressing for development funds for Munugode.

This repeated strategy has exposed his disenchantment and isolation within the party. Meanwhile, the disciplinary committee is likely to seek his ‘explanation’ on the matter in the next few days.