The controversy has escalated with legal notices becoming part of the political battle. Telangana Congress chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud, chairman of the party's state media and communication department Sama Ramamohan Reddy, and MLC Addanki Dayakar have accused Harish Rao of visiting religious places and allegedly performing tantric rituals with the intention of harming Telangana and the Congress government.
Ramamohan Reddy alleged that Harish Rao had visited Tiruchirappalli and Shivamogga for such rituals. "For what purpose did you do all this? A direct question," he said.
Harish Rao has rejected the allegations and issued legal notices through his lawyer to Mahesh Kumar Goud, Ramamohan Reddy, and Addanki Dayakar. The notices have demanded unconditional apologies and withdrawal of the statements, warning that civil and criminal defamation cases could follow.
The BRS has also strongly criticised the Congress over the allegations. BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan accused the Congress of wrongly portraying traditional Hindu practices as "kshudra pujas."
"Politics is a persuasive debate on policies," Sravan said, arguing that political parties should focus on governance rather than religious practices.
The controversy has also raised questions within the Congress over its communication strategy. In an organisational move, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 6 appointed Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy as the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee's State Chairperson of the Media and Publicity Department with immediate effect. The move is seen as a snub to the state unit.
The Congress is now under pressure to ensure that its leaders remain aligned with the party's official position and avoid statements that could lead to further political and legal complications.
The coming days will indicate whether the party takes disciplinary action or introduces more organisational changes against some state leaders whose statements have created public embarrassment for the party.
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