Congress serves fresh show cause notice on Komatireddy Venkat Reddy

HYDERABAD: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has served a fresh show-cause notice on its Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy over the recent leaked audio controversy. This is the second show-cause notice slapped on Venkat Reddy since October 22, 2022 for allegedly asking a Congress leader to vote in favour of his brother Rajgopal Reddy who is the BJP candidate for Munugode by-election.

On October 22, the AICC disciplinary action committee (DAC) served the notice, based on a complaint from party Telangana affairs incharge Manickam Tagore. The DAC asked Venkat Reddy to give his explanation within 10 days as to why action should not be initiated against him.

With the deadline ending on November 1, the DAC contacted Venkat Reddy's office for his explanation. Venkat Reddy, on the other hand, informed the DAC that he was not in receipt of the notice as he was on a foreign tour. The DAC subsequently served the second notice to elicit the Bhongir MP's explanation.

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy was accused of asking Jabbar Bhai, a Munugode Congress leader, to vote for his brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy, who contested the Assembly by-election on a BJP ticket. There were reports that the audio recording of Venkat Reddy's call to Jabbar was three years old and the conversation was not in the context of Munugode. Yet, the Congress high command took it seriously and directed the DAC to handle the matter.

In its first notice served on Venkat Reddy on October 22, DAC Chairman Tariq Anwar called it a 'breach of party's discipline' and asked the MP to explain as to why action should not be initiated 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 Shravanti. It is alleged that this voice recording is viral on social media and prominent electronic and print media.

"Prime 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 has been in a piquant situation since the time his younger brother quit the Congress party and even resigned as the legislator of Munugode. Ironically, the Congress party made him the star campaigner for the by-poll, which he largely skipped. After holidaying in Australia at the height of the high-voltage campaigning in Munugode, Venkat Reddy returned to India only two days ago.

It will be interesting to see how Venkat Reddy responds to the show cause notice amid speculation that it was only a matter of time before he too followed in his sibling's footsteps.

Meanwhile, Munugode recorded an unprecedented voting percentage of 99.13 during the polling held on Thursday.