Congress HC will punish CM for by-polls debacle: Shankar Rao

Former Congress minister Dr P Shankar Rao on Tuesday said that the Congress party suffered a major defeat in the by-elections mainly due to the wrong decisions taken by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Talking to media persons at Assembly premises, Dr Shankar Rao said that the hasty decisions taken by the Chief Minister and arrest of Jagan Mohan Reddy by the CBI in connection with disproportionate assets case were responsible for drubbing of Congress party in the by-elections. He alleged that Kiran Kumar Reddy was indirectly acting as a cohort of Jagan Mohan Reddy and supporting him in all the aspects although he was languishing in jail.

Dr Shankar Rao predicted that the high command would take serious action against the Chief Minister, who was responsible for party's defeat in the by-election. Fearing action from the High Command, he said that the Chief Minister directed the peshi officials in his office to clear all files within a week.

He hoped that YSR Congress party would extend its support to Congress nominee Pranab Mukherjee for the President's post, for which the elections would be held in July.