Telangana Congress cried foul over many sops the TRS government announced in the past two days ignoring the enforcement of code of conduct during the by-election for Warangal Lok Sabha Constituency. Yesterday the TRS government took a decision to celebrate the Christmas as the state festival. And the government also announced a series of programs during on Christmas day.

The government will celebrate Christmas by distributing clothes to two lakh poor Christians and organizing Christmas lunch in all churches after prayers on December 20. This will be organized in 100 churches in Hyderabad and 95 Assembly constituencies across the State. About 1,000 men and women would be distributed clothes at each place. Congress took strong objection to the announcement and lodged a complaint with the chief electoral officer Bhanwalal today. Party’s official spokespersons B Kamalakar Rao, G Niranjan, A Shyam Mohan presented a memorandum to this effect. According to the Congress party, announcement of the scheme of free distribution of clothing during the Christimas Day Celebrations in December, 2015 and also arranging mass christimas dinner by the Telangana government has clearly violated the poll conduct.

They also cited another program announced by T Harish Rao, irrigation minister. According to the complaint, while campaigning in Warangal, Harish Rao announced that the Kalyanalakhmi program, hitherto confined to SC and ST, would be extended to BC as well.

The third violation the Congress brought to the notice of the Election Commission was extension of supply of fine rice to the college hostels. Congress fears that Warangal being the important education center in the state with many college hostels, the decision to supply fine rice had vitiated the poll atmosphere in Lok Sabha constituency.

The Congress sought action against the government and urged the EC to initiate step to prevent the violations of code of conduct by the government for the sake of free and fair conduct of elections.