The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has sought disqualification of BJP MP and party’s state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleging that he was the prime conspirator in the leakage of question paper of the ongoing Class X public exams conducted by the Telangana State board.

Significantly, following the Police Commissioner’s (Warangal) statement that Bandi Sanjay’s cell phone was missing, BRS social media team also began tweeting “Where is Bandi Sanjay’s phone?”

This was reminiscent of the BJP’s attack on Kalvakuntla Kavitha after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stated in the remand report of another accused in the Delhi liquor case that she had destroyed ten cell phones. During her last appearance before the ED, Kavitha had submitted several old phone sets questioning the probe agency for rumour mongering and accusing her of destroying her phones.

Some of the BRS supporters on Wednesday even tagged various Central probe agencies urging them to recover the missing phone of the BJP MP. Much of the evidence gathered by the police in connection with the paper leak case pertains to calls and WhatsApp chats between the Bandi Sanjay and the accused number two Prasanth who the police said was a former journalist.

Meanwhile, attacking the BJP and Bandi Sanjay Telangana, state Finance Minister T Harish Rao supported the demand for his disqualification from the Lok Sabha alleging that he was the prime conspirator and had been caught red handed.

He further alleged that while Prasanth, who had forwarded a copy of the Hindi question paper to Bandi Sanjay on Tuesday, was a BJP worker, the invigilator who had copied the Telugu question paper on Monday in Tandur and circulated it even when the examination was going on, was a member of the BJP-affiliated teachers’ organisation. He said Prasanth made 142 calls in two hours including to Bandi Sanjay.

Rao also said that the BJP was known for conspiring in order to destabilise state governments. “BJP has touched a new low in politics. They are ready to stoop to any level for political gains,”, he said, adding that they were playing with the future of the students of class X simply for political gains. Accusing the BJP of enacting a drama, the minister said the national party did not value education since many of its leaders in Telangana and in New Delhi had fake degrees.

State Industry Minister KT Rama Rao took to Twitter to slam the BJP saying “If a madman has a stone in his hand there is danger to passerby but if a party is in the hands of a mad man then it is a danger to democracy.”

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao, who referred to DGP Anjani Kumar as a “Bihar gunda” while condemning the arrest of Bandi Sanjay, has come under severe criticism. The IPS Association of Telangana condemned the comment made by the BJP MLA and sought action from the speaker of the Assembly for the “irresponsible and highly derogatory” comment.

“Such an irresponsible statement from the legislator and use of unparliamentary language against a senior government functionary is highly unbecoming and unhealthy in a democratic set up,” said the association, adding it will demoralise the police force.