Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently launched his national ambitions with party name change.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's party has gone to the Election Commission against BJP leaders' allegations that he takes decisions based on "black magic" and "advice from tantriks (occultists)".
Demanding prosecution of state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) complaint says, "We deny these allegations as false, concocted in order to create and spread hate among the people, most particularly the voters of Munugode assembly constituency, depicting [Mr Rao or 'KCR'] as a non-believer of God and a believer of Devils and Demons."
Munugode is to vote in a bypoll on November 3.
The two BJP leaders had said KCR changed the name of his party to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on advice from occultists. The TRS-to-BRS change — formal nod of the Election Commission is pending — is part of KCR's move to go national ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, in which he hopes to be a power centre against the BJP and PM Narendra Modi.
The party has further asked the poll panel to remove eight symbols similar to its 'car' from the list of free symbols for the bypoll.
This comes days after the TRS alleged, in another complaint to the commission, that BJP candidate K Rajgopal Reddy be disqualified over a Rs 18,000-crore contract. The BJP has denied the allegations.
On the "tantrik" charge, "utterances of the BJP leaders are not only criminal as per the Indian Penal Code but also triable offences under Representation of People Act," says the TRS complaint, accusing the two leaders of violating the Election Code of Conduct.