Vishakapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 17 : Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief YS Sharmila has called for the permanent disqualification of Lok Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh, Putta Mallesh Kumar, after he reportedly tested positive for narcotics following a raid at a farmhouse in Moinabad.
YS Sharmila Reddy, while speaking to ANI, said, "It is shameful and shocking that an MP from Andhra Pradesh was caught using drugs. Those present at the drug party tested positive for drugs. The Congress party considers this a grave. We demand that the Speaker of the Parliament take notice of this and be disqualified permanently. During CM Jagan Mohan Reddy's tenure, drugs were imported into Vizag port. Chandrababu Naidu had said that he won't allow drug culture to be prevalent in Andhra Pradesh. We demand that Chandrababu Naidu should sack this MP immediately."
On the other hand, amid mounting controversy over the Moinabad farmhouse drug bust, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Putta Mallesh Kumar issued a clarification after the farmhouse was raided, saying that he did not do anything wrong, and had only gone for a dinner meet with friends.
Addressing the controversy, the TDP MP said he was invited to dinner by his friends and has not done anything wrong.
"I haven't done anything wrong. I'm answerable to the people of Eluru. I had only gone for a dinner meet with my friends. I did nothing wrong at that dinner. I want to tell the people of Eluru that I have not committed any mistake. I will never betray the trust they have placed in me. The people of Eluru will understand; they don't trust media or social media reports. I will always speak the truth. I will never tell lies," Kumar said in a video statement.
His statement comes after he was among 10 people detained during a raid by the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) team of the Telangana Police at the farmhouse of former BRS MLA Pilot Rohit Reddy in Moinabad in Rangareddy district.
Officials said that six people, including Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Lok Sabha MP from Eluru, Putta Mahesh Kumar and former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA, Pilot Rohit Reddy, tested positive for drugs following a police raid at a farmhouse in the Moinabad area of Rangareddy district.
According to the Telangana Police, the raid was conducted by the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) team after receiving information about a gathering being held at a farmhouse without prior permission.