The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Jaleel Khan breathes defiance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Jaleel Khan breathes defiance

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, APRIL. 12. Contesting the party State leadership's reported decision to expel him from the party, the former Congress MLA, Jaleel Khan, has questioned the authority of the APCC president, D. Srinivas, in expelling him from the party.

"How can Mr. Srinivas, who himself is facing charges, expel me. Only the high command is authorised to take any action against me,'' he said.

Mr. Khan has written a letter to the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi, explaining the reasons that led to the leadership's decision to expel him from the party.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he accused the PCC president of `hatching a conspiracy' with the party candidate for the Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency, Lagadapati Rajagopal and the former Union Minister, P. Upendra, for denying him the ticket from the Vijayawada-West Assembly constituency.

"Though there are 1.70 lakh Muslim voters in Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Rajagopal used his influence and money to see that the candidature of a minority contestant is set aside in the Vijayawada-West constituency, forming part of the Lok Sabha seat,'' he said.

He alleged that Congress party gave the Vijayawada-West seat to the Communist Party of India (CPI) on the insistence of Mr. Rajagopal and Mr. Upendra. He levelled corruption charges against the senior leaders once again. Stating that he knew the antecedents of the PCC president for the last 15 years, Mr. Khan threatened to "open the Pandora's box, with irrefutable evidence, which would see Mr. Srinivas out of the political scene.'' Mr. Khan said that he had faxed his resignation letter to Ms. Gandhi on April 9 itself and it was up to the party high command to take a decision on it.

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