Telangana BJP president Ramchander dares transport minister to produce proof of voter deletions

HYDERABAD: Accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of invoking the names of Hindu deities for political expediency, state BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Monday challenged Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar to produce evidence of voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters here, Ramchander Rao criticised Revanth for comparing the BJP to Ravana and the Congress to Rama at a rally in Goa.

He accused the chief minister of changing his references to Hindu deities to suit electoral interests, citing Revanth’s earlier description of Rama as a “rich man’s god” and Shiva as a “poor man’s god” worshipped by the Congress.

Questioning Revanth’s right to invoke Lord Rama’s name, he referred to the chief minister’s reported statement during the Jubilee Hills elections that “Muslim is Congress and Congress is Muslim”.

He also accused the Congress of opposing the Ram Mandir, alleging that it filed affidavits questioning Rama’s existence and also opposed the temple’s construction.

On the alleged deletion of voter names, Ramchander Rao accepted Prabhakar’s challenge and asked the minister to bring at least 10 affected voters to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office at a date and time of his choice.

“Let us check the details of those 10 voters on the computers then and there to establish whether their votes are missing or were actually deleted,” he said.

He maintained that no eligible voter’s name could be deleted without prior notice and a field-level inquiry. Distinguishing between a missing name and an actual deletion, he demanded an apology if the minister failed to substantiate his allegations. He also said AIMIM leaders Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi could accompany the minister.

Ramchander Rao accused the Congress of neglecting drought-hit farmers while its leaders travelled to Delhi in special flights. He also urged Revanth to address the drug menace, alleging that narcotics were widely available in Telangana.

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