Hyderabad, Jul 12 (IANS): A Congress leader in Telangana resigned from the party on Monday after he was issued show cause notice over an audio in which he claimed that he will contest by-election to Huzurabad Assembly constituency on the ticket of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Hours after he was issued show cause notice for indulging in anti-party activities, P. Kaushik Reddy announced resignation from the primary membership of the party.
Addressing a news conference, Kaushik Reddy launched an attack on state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy and alleged that he was working against the party interests.
He also questioned the appointment of Revanth Reddy, seeking to know why senior leaders of the party were ignored.
Kaushik Reddy, who was TPCC Secretary and party incharge for Huzurabad constituency, alleged that Revanth Reddy gave Rs 50 crore bribe to a central leader of the party to become the state Congress President.
A cousin of former state President and Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, he said he would consult his followers in Huzurabad before announcing his future course of action in 2-3 days.
Kaushik Reddy, who had unsuccessfully contested as Congress candidate from Huzurabad in 2018 Assembly elections, is reportedly planning to join the TRS.
The former cricketer dared Revanth Reddy to save the Congress candidate's deposit in the by-election.
The Assembly constituency fell vacant following resignation of former minister E. Rajender, who recently quit the TRS to join the BJP.
Earlier, an audio of telephonic conversation between Kaushik Reddy and a TRS worker went viral. Claiming that he will be the TRS candidate in Huzurabad, he asked the TRS worker to mobilise party workers who can work for him and offered them money.
The audio has surfaced a few days after Kaushik Reddy's meeting with TRS Working President and state minister K. T. Rama Rao at a function.
After the audio went viral, the Congress disciplinary action committee issued a show cause notice to Kaushik Reddy for anti-party activities. He was given 24 hours to reply to the notice.
However, Kaushik Reddy hurriedly called a press conference to announce his resignation from the party. He, however, refused to answer queries about the audio and described it as a "small issue".