Meenakshi rules out Rajya Sabha entry from Telangana, says no MP needs to resign for her

Days after speculation started doing rounds that Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan might enter the Rajya Sabha from Telangana after facing a setback in Madhya Pradesh, she herself said that she has no such plans.

Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Sunday (June 21) in a press conference, the Congress’s headquarters in the Telangana capital, Meenakshi said nobody should vacate his/her seat for her.

Also read: Telangana Rajya Sabha berth may open up for Meenakshi Natarajan

The leader, who is the Congress’s Telangana in-charge, and known for her simplicity and oratory skills, stole the headlines recently when her nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections in her home state of Madhya Pradesh was rejected by the Election Commission (EC) following allegations by the opponent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that she had concealed a criminal case in her nomination papers. Subsequently, the BJP won all three seats in Madhya Pradesh that went to the polls.

Telangana CM was in favour of a RS seat for Meenakshi

The Congress, particularly the Telangana leadership, expressed a strong intent to send Meenakshi to the Upper Houses from the state. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy recently spoke about the matter with the high command during his visit to New Delhi, and the top leadership was reportedly assessing the possibility. Speculation was rife that one of the party’s serving MPs in the Rajya Sabha from Telangana (it has four members now) could step down to pave the way for Meenakshi.

Sources in the Congress said Revanth was prepared to ask Vem Narender Reddy, one of the chief minister’s close aides and a former adviser to his government, to vacate his seat. He became a Rajya Sabha MP in April, along with Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

At present, Congress Rajya Sabha MPs from Telangana are Renuka Chowdhury, Anil Kumar Yadav, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy. While Chowdhury and Yadav have been MPs for around a year and a half, Singhvi and Vem assumed office only in March-April this year.

Meenakshi said she would enter Parliament from MP

But when the media asked Meenakshi about her plans, she said, “I do not want to go to the Rajya Sabha from Telangana.” Stressing that there was no need for anybody from the state to resign for her, the Congress leader said she would enter Parliament from her home state.

Meenakshi has represented her state in Parliament in the past. Between 2009 and 2014, she served as a member of the Lok Sabha from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. She lost the seat in 2014 to the BJP's Sudhir Gupta in 2014 and 2019.

Also read: Fresh complaint filed against Congress's Meenakshi Natarajan in Telangana

While it was not immediately clear how the leader could secure a Rajya Sabha berth from Madhya Pradesh, her remarks suggest that she might have a plan for the future.

Meenakshi accuses BJP of conspiring

Meenakshi also took a dig at the BJP, saying it tried to buy the Congress’s votes in Madhya Pradesh. She alleged that when the saffron camp understood that such a plan would not succeed, the conspiracy to get her nomination scrapped was hatched.

She also took a dig at the EC, saying it acted in collusion with the BJP to block her nomination.

According to Meenakshi, a legal notice cannot be treated as a criminal case. She pointed out that there was no specific column in the nomination form requiring candidates to disclose legal notices.

Also read: Meenakshi Natarajan row: Telangana complainant alleges she's being stalked

Describing the episode as more than a personal issue, she said the “theft of a seat” was part of a larger BJP conspiracy affecting the entire country.

Rules out Congress sabotage

She also spoke over the allegations that the Rajya Sabha nomination row was caused by leaks from within the Congress, ruling them out. She said there is no reason for anybody in the party to plot a conspiracy against her. The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi blamed the state’s ruling party for the debacle, with its working president K T Rama Rao even accusing CM Revanth of backstabbing Meenakshi.

That the Congress is not ready to give up on the Meenakshi nomination rejection issue was evident on Saturday (June 20) when it organised a “satyagraha” protest in support of the leader at Gandhi Bhavan. Telangana Congress chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud said the BJP was in pursuit of permanent power at the cost of ruining democratic institutions.

(This article was first published in The Federal Telangana).