Congress leader Krishank had earlier said that he would contest as a rebel candidate from Secunderabad Cantonment after his father-in-law was given the ticket to contest the Telangana election. He later backtracked claiming he is not the right candidate to contest from the said constituency
Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) spokesperson Krishank Manne's decision not to contest Assembly elections this year has drawn flak. The student leader released a video 'The Last Word' on Facebook to defend his decision.
Krishank is also an important leader of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC).
Krishank was hoping to get the ticket to contest from Secunderabad Cantonment. But party chose his father-in-law, Sarvey Satyanarayana, who is a former Union minister. Krishank’s supporters staged a protest and Krishank even announced that he would contest as a rebel from the same constituency. He had said that Satyanarayana was defeated thrice earlier and it was not right for the party to make him the candidate.
But in the 10-minute Facebook video, Krishank said, "I think I am a misfit for this election. I don't have the eligibility. I am not financially strong to contest as an independent. I am a common student leader from Osmania university, still pursuing my Phd."
But before announcing that he would not contest elections, Krishank had said, "If we are going down, we have to fight and go down."
But later, Krishank backtracked and said that the situation was different now. "If I contest as a rebel leader, it will be helpful for the sitting TRS MLA to win again because of possible vote division. The present MLA has not done good for the people," he declared.
Krishank also debunked his decision to be a rebel and said, "Once one joins a political party, he/she should remain in that party. He or she should not change the party for selfish reasons. Many parties - small and big offered me a ticket, but I was not comfortable. It is not right for people to jump ship. Even if I do the same, it is wrong."
But Krishank also gave a warning. "I am weak but not out, I will never compromise," he said, adding that even though he is not in power directly, he would fight for the cause of providing jobs for the youth.
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