BRS Executive President and former minister K T Rama Rao has supported large scale `defections’ engineered during his party’s regime with most of Congress, TDP and YCP MLAs being `merged’ into his party.

But lamenting Congress party as `mother of defections’ in India, he pointed out its `unlawful defection of MLAs’ in the state. He termed present defection of BRS MLAs into Congress as opportunistic and exposing the hypocrisy and double-standards of the Congress party.

He said that it was Congress which introduced the ‘Aayaram-Gayaram’ culture in India, but the same party introduced the Anti-Defection Law in 1987.  Referring to BRS promoting defections during KCR’s regime, KTR said that there is a huge difference between `merger’ and `defection’.

He pointed out that during the BRS regime, political parties have merged in the BRS Legislative Party as per the Constitutional provisions, while the Congress is encouraging defections. KTR, who is presently in New Delhi along with his another former minister T Harish Rao consulting several legal and constitutional experts to explore ways to approach the Supreme Court seeking disqualification of the defected elected representatives.

He revealed plans to approach President Droupadi Murmu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Election Commission of India in this regard. He is also mulling over holding a meeting of like-minded political parties at the Constitution Club to discuss the way forward.

The party invited all the victims of the BJP and the Congress to come together for a joint fight against the defections, he said and alleged Congress as the `mother of defections’ in India.

Rama Rao slams that the Congress, which is encouraging defections in Telangana, was making a huge cry over defection of its MLAs into BJP and other political parties in States such as Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana among others.

“Rahul Gandhi made Congress candidates in Goa take oath against defecting to other parties. When Congress MLAs joined the BJP in Karnataka, Siddharamaiah claimed that the BJP purchased them for Rs 50 crore”, he added.

KTR ridiculed that in its manifesto, the Congress promised to amend the Schedule 10 of the constitution to ensure automatic disqualification of elected representatives upon defection,” he reminded.

He took potshots at Congress Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi for delivering an Oscar-level act by holding the Constitution in Parliament, and shortly thereafter shaking hands with BRS defected MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy welcoming him into the party. “What sort of hypocrisy is this?” he questioned.