Hyderabad: Escalating the war of words with the BRS, AICC secretary SA Sampath Kumar on Wednesday dared senior BRS leader T Harish Rao to respond to the Congress’ allegations instead of issuing legal notices, asserting that the party would produce evidence to back its claims if the former irrigation minister responded to the allegations.Addressing a press meet at Gandhi Bhavan, Kumar reiterated his allegation that Harish performed occult rituals (kshudra poojas) for political gains and to bring drought and hardship to Telangana.He questioned why Harish Rao had chosen to issue legal notices instead of responding to the allegations. “Criticism and counter-criticism are part of democracy. If our allegations are false, he should deny them. We will then place the evidence before the public,” he said, adding that “silence amounts to acceptance.”Taking a dig at BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar for defending Harish Rao, Kumar alleged that the Kalvakuntla family uses leaders from different communities for political convenience before discarding them. “Praveen, too, would be thrown away like a tissue paper by the party,” he said.He also claimed the former IPS officer spoke against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi despite lacking the stature to do so.The legal notices were sent after TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and other Congress leaders alleged that Harish Rao had travelled to Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Shivamogga in Karnataka to perform occult rituals.Meanwhile, Mahesh Kumar Goud and Congress MP Mallu Ravi also reiterated the party’s allegations against Harish Rao in separate interactions with the media. Ravi said the Congress would organise a “Jala Yagnam” at Nagarjuna Sagar under irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy to counter the alleged ill-effects of the rituals.
