KADAPA: Congress leaders took out a protest rally from Kadapa Zilla Parishad to the Collectorate on Saturday and burnt an effigy of evangelist K.A. Paul deploring his charges against United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and A.P. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

District Congress Committee president A. Amarnath Reddy, Deputy Mayor K. Nabi Rasool, City Congress president T. Sivasankar and former ZP Chairman K. Suresh Babu led the protest in which large number of activists of the Congress and its frontal organisations participated. Congress and Youth Congress activists also staged protests in some parts of the district. The evangelist levelled baseless allegations against the Congress high command and the Chief Minister in collusion with Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu, they alleged at a press conference at Indira Bhavan later. They advised Mr. Paul to either act as an evangelist or quit and join the Telugu Desam Party if he has political aspirations, but not to mislead people by his `baseless charges'. Questioning his propriety in making accusations against Ms. Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy, they warned that he would incur the wrath of Congressmen if he continued his `malicious campaign' against the Congress. Charging him with trying to defame the Congress,they alleged his `complicity' in the death of former Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi in a plane crash. Balayogi was a partner in Paul's organisation.

Kurnool Staff Reporter writes: Chief Patron of Rayalaseema Patrons Association R.R.D. Sajivaraju found fault with the evangelist K.A. Paul and said the stand taken by him would harm the interests of Christians in the State. They advised him not to brush politicians on the wrong side and control his emotions.

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