HYDERABAD: Former BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao has claimed that he met MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao “accidentally” and that he had no intention of meeting him, while explaining to the party why he met him at a time when TRS was the BJP’s political rival.Ramchander Rao met Rama Rao, without clearance from the party leadership, and sought his help to make the byelection to Lingojiguda division of the GHMC unanimous in favour of BJP. As it amounted breach of discipline, Ramchander Rao was asked to appear before a three-member fact-finding committee where he said he was taken to Pragathi Bhavan without being told as to whom he was going to meet.

The BJP leader told Express: “When I spoke to LB Nagar MLA (TRS) D Sudheer Reddy for making the Lingojiguda election unanimous, he first asked us to meet him at Erramanzil. Later, he asked us to go to Begumpet. The moment he said Begumpet, I thought the meeting with him would be at Haritha Tourism Plaza Hotel. Later, he told us that the TRS Rangareddy district meeting was taking place inside Pragathi Bhavan and asked us to come in for a discussion with party district leaders. So, we went inside the Pragathi Bhavan to make the election unanimous in favour of the BJP. There we accidentally met KTR.”

Ramchander Rao, however, said that he would not defend his meeting with the KTR. He had only accompanied the family members of Akula Ramesh Goud, after whose death a byelection was necessitated for Lingojiguda division in LB Nagar Assembly constituency, the former MLC explained.

He’s lying: Sudheer Reddy
However, Sudheer Reddy, speaking to Express, dismissed Ramchander Rao’s version as hogwash. Ramchander Rao is lying after his meeting with KTR recoiled on him. He said, “When Ramchander Rao called asking not to field a contestant in Lingojiguda election, I categorically told them to formally request KTR. I informed him the time to meet KTR at Pragathi Bhavan well in advance. Ramachander Rao, BJP Rangareddy district president Sama Ranga Reddy and a few other corporators came to Pragathi Bhavan only to meet KTR.”