YSCP ‘rebel’ Lok Sabha MP Raghurama Krishnam Raju is going all guns blazing against the party leadership.
Not to be cowed down by the show-cause notice issued by YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy, Raju has now taken his battle to New Delhi.
On Friday, Raju met the officials of the Election Commission of India. He reportedly complained to the EC that a show-cause notice was issued by the party under the letter head of the YSR Congress Party instead of the party name ‘Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party’.
He informed the EC that issuing the show-cause notice under the letterhead of the YSR Congress Party was a violation of the Election Commission of India regulations. He brought to the notice of the Election Commission of India that YSRCP was illegally using the name ‘YSR Congress Party’ when another political party ‘Anna YSR Congress Party’ was already registered with the ECI.
Raju is also likely to meet the Union Home Secretary to express his fears of threat to his life from his own party leaders. Later, he is expected to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Earlier, the YSRCP MP had written a letter to Om Birla that his own party MLAs in Narasapuram constituency were staging protests by burning his effigies and threatening him for raising certain issues.
On Wednesday, replying to the show-cause notice issued by Vijaysai Reddy, Raju had stated that it lacked legal sanctity as it was served under the letter head of the YSR Congress Party instead of the party name ‘Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party’ which is the registered name in the Election Commission of India. “Please be informed that Anna YSR Congress Party is another political party registered with the Election Commission of India. The Election Commission of India has refused to register the name YSR Congress Party when we applied on May 6, 2015. No request or communication was ever made for change of the name by our party as per clause 9 Section 29A of The Representation of the People’s Act 1951. I hope and trust you have taken permission from our beloved president Sri Jagan Mohan Reddy garu to use the letter heads with YSR Congress Party printed on it. Since the Election Commission clearly indicated to us not to use YSR on the letterhead and instead asked us to use Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party only.”
Raju also sought to know if YSRCP has an internal disciplinary committee. Further, questioned Vijayasai Reddy in what capacity did he send the show cause notice to him. “I am surprised to see you designating yourself as national general secretary of our party which is Registered as State recognised party as per Para 6A of the Election Symbols Reservation and Allotment Order 1968.”
“Have you served this show-cause notice in the capacity of National General Secretary? If so, I doubt the authority vested to this chair with all regards as per the party constitution that was submitted by our party to the Election Commission of India. It is the byelaw of our party that we ought to be constituting a disciplinary committee ever since we intend to call ourselves a political party. I would stand obligated to answer only upon establishing that there is a disciplinary committee and the procedure stipulated to and notified by Election Commission were adhered to in word and spirit. If not, I may have to treat you unauthorised to address the communication and forced to take legal proceedings for misleading one and all,” Raju warned.
“I request you not to harm the existence of the party. You are causing more harm to the party than anyone else by violating rules,” Raju had stated.
In the past, the Lok Sabha MP had openly expressed his displeasure over the proposed sale of TTD assets stating that such a move would hurt the sentiments of the devotees.
The YSRCP MP had also raised the issue of sand scarcity in AP due to the flawed policy adopted by the Jagan government which has led to a steep spike in the price of sand thereby paralyzing the construction industry.
More recently, Raju used Rajanikant’s popular dialogue (Nanna pandule gumpuga vastayi simham Single ga vastundi — pigs come in herd , but a lion walks in solo) to hit out at his political critics.
