Congress issues show cause notice to Komatireddy Venkat Reddy

NEW DELHI: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has issued a show cause notice to its Telangana senior leader and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy over his recent leaked audio controversy. Venkat Reddy was accused of asking a local Congress leader Jabbar to vote for his younger brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, who is in the Munugode Assembly by-election contest as a BJP candidate.

Despite some reports suggesting that the leaked audio of Venkat Reddy's call to Jabbar was three years old and not in the context of Munugode, the Congress high command has taken the matter seriously and initiated disciplinary measures against the MP. The Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) of the Congress party has issued the show cause notice based on a complaint lodged with it by Manickam Tagore, incharge of party's Telangana affairs.

In the notice, dated October 22, DAC Chairman Tariq Anwar called it a 'breach of party's discipline' and asked Komatireddy Venkat Reddy to respond within 10 days as to why action should not be taken against him as per the provisions of the party's constitution.

"B Manickam Tagore, Incharge Telangana, has brought to the notice of the DAC that a voice recording is being heard you insisting on Jabbar Bhai, a Congress leader, to support the BJP candidate for the Munugode Assembly by-election on November 3, 2022, who happens to be your sibling, against Congress candidate Palvai Sravanti. It is alleged that this voice recording is viral on social media and prominent electronic and print media.

"Prima facie, it is an act of breach of party discipline. Therefore, this show cause notice is being issued seeking your reply within 10 days as to why disciplinary action not being taken against you as per the provisions of the Constitution of the Indian National Congress," the notice read.

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who is in a piquant situation since the time his sibling switched his loyalties from the Congress to the BJP, is currently on a trip to Australia. Ironically, the Congress party made the Bhongir MP the star campaigner for the Munugode Assembly by-election. The voice recording, purportedly featuring Venkat Reddy, caused ripples in Telangana political circles and tremors within the grand-old party.

But there were also reports which claimed that the voice recording purportedly featuring the MP was three years old and was not in the context of the Munugode by-election. Interestingly, Venkat Reddy continued to court controversy even after landing in Australia. In an informal chat with some followers there, he was overheard making off-the-cuff remarks claiming that his brother Rajgopal Reddy would eventually win the Munugode seat.