Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s son and IT and Municipal Administration Minister K.T. Rama Rao raised Rs 8.50 lakh for Telangana Rashtra Samithi funds by turning into an ice cream maker-cum-vendor at an ice cream shop at Bowenpally on the outskirts of Hyderabad for half an hour on Friday. He was participating in the ruling TRS’ fund raising drive from 14 April to 20 April, titled “Coolie Week”.
When KTR entered a roadside ice cream shop selected by the local party leaders, a large gathering of party seniors thronged the area. Malkajigiri Lok Sabha member C. Malla Reddy paid Rs 5 lakh by cheque to buy an ice cream made by KTR.
The MP told the media that he had paid the big amount to the minister as “I want to be the Number 1 in paying our young leader as my LS constituency is No. 1 in the country with 32 lakh electorate. I am happy to pay KTR.” Two more senior leaders, Kolan Srinivas Reddy and Mahender, paid Rs 1 lakh each to KTR. The fund-raising drive assumes significance as both the EC and the I-T department have tightened the monitoring of political funding after demonetisation. As there is a ban on collecting cash beyond Rs 2,000 by parties, the TRS has been collecting big amounts through cheques. Telangana Social Welfare Minister G. Jagadeswar Reddy and TRS Nakerekal (SC) MLA Vemula Veeresham collected Rs 3 lakh by volunteering to work at two private firms, Vista Pharmaceuticals and IDL Detonators at Narketpally in Nalgonda district on Wednesday. KCR too is expected to join the drive in coming days. The TRS has collected around Rs 30 crore.