Will Congress earn sympathy from the public over raids on leaders

Following the string of cases booked on its leaders, the Congress is expecting some sympathy from the public. At least one leader has openly said that the people were expressing concern and the cases were politically benefiting the party.With the cases being booked in the shadow of the elections, the party is claiming that they are trumped up. The Congress is targeting the TRS for the income-tax raids on party leader A. Revanth Reddy. The TRS had to defend itself saying it it did not have anything to do with Central government departments.

Just a few days before the raids, Mr Revanth Reddy had alleged that caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were conspiring to harass him with the help of Enforcement Directorate and income-tax departments. 

A senior Congress leader, on condition of anonymity said, “With the cases, our leaders will definitely earn sympathy from the public. The public knows that the cases are false and the government is harassing us. The ruling party has made a mistake by harassing the Opposition during the elections.”

He said that Mr Revanth Reddy was targeted when he was in the Telugu Desam at the time of the ‘cash for note’ case, but his popularity only seemed to increase by the time he was released from jail, the leaders said. Party workers gathered at his house last week when the I-T rides were on, he pointed out.

A couple of days ago, Congress leader Turpu Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy who was arrested in a case of alleged human trafficking, said that the people were expressing support for him after he came out of jail on bail.

Speaking to mediapersons, he thanked the government saying that the “false cases” had helped him prove his standing, “Caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has benefited me with false cases. The police was shocked at seeing my house and laughed at the government for maiing the allegations on me. The people have come to know that the government is targeting the Congress leaders. I have gained politically”, he added.