Congress files complaint against KTR for 'Palli Batana' remarks on Teenmaar Mallanna

Hyderabad: Congress leader and former MLA and MP Dr Mallu Ravi filed a complaint against BRS working president K Taraka Rama Rao claiming that the BRS leader made ‘unwarranted and derogatory remarks’ against Congress MLC candidate Teenmaar Mallanna at BRS preparatory meeting at Choutuppal on Friday.

Mallu Ravi and a delegation of Congress leaders met the chief electoral officer on Saturday and submitted a complaint on KTR.

“We would like to bring to your notice that K Taraka Rama Rao used unwarranted, derogatory and scathing remarks against the Congress candidate Teenmaar Mallanna alias Chinthapadnu Naveen Kumar, on the eve of Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam graduate MLC by-election. The remarks were made in their party’s preparatory meeting held at Choutuppal on Friday,” Mallu Ravi said in the complaint.

He said that BRS candidate Rakesh Reddy studied in BITS Pilani and won a gold medal. Rakesh Reddy has worked in the USA for seven years and is the son of a farmer. However, KTR compared them and insulted Teenmaar Mallanna, alleged Mallu Ravi.

“He (KTR) criticised Teenmaar Mallanna by saying that he is ‘palli-batani’ and that the election is between BITS Pilani and ‘palli-batani.’ Teenmaar Mallanna is a highly qualified person with a degree from Kakatiya University, Post Graduation (Journalism) from Osmania University and an MBA from JNTU and such statements remove a person's dignity,” the Congress leader said.

He said that the vocabulary used by KTR violated the Model Code of Conduct since he insulted the other candidates in the election fray. He has also insulted all the graduates of OU and KU varsities by comparing them with a private university in Rajasthan, he added.

The Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduate by-election is scheduled to be held on May 27.