Telangana Rashtra Samithi legislator Chennamaneni Ramesh, who is facing disqualification on the grounds of double citizenship, has said that he will legally fight against the Union Home Ministry’s report cancelling his Indian citizenship.
Ch Ramesh who had become German citizen in 1993 had returned to India in 2008 and reapplied for Indian citizenship.
He contested and won the Assembly elections in 2009 on Telugu Desam Party ticket from Vemulavada constituency in Karimnagar district. In 2010 he resigned from TDP and joined the TRS and was re elected to the Assembly. Adi Srinivas of Congress who lost the election against him had challenged his election alleging he had obtained Indian citizenship on the basis of fake documents and false claims.
Accepting the contention of Adi Srinivas that Ramesh did not fulfill the criteria to apply for Indian citizenship in 2008 the Andhra Pradesh High Court had declared his election null and void.
However Ramesh secured a stay order from Supreme Court with a rider that he will not be able to exercise his voting right in the House.
On August 28 the Supreme court had asked the Union Home Ministry to submit a report within six weeks about Ramesh’s citizenship status.
Now the TRS MlA has received a communication from Joint Secretary, Home Ministry that his Indian citizenship was being revoked as he had not fulfilled the requirements for obtaining the citizenship in 2009.
Adi Srinivas who had successfully contested against Ramesh third time in 2014 as the BJP candidate said that Ramesh did not have any option but to resign from the assembly. “Only logical step for him is to quit”, Srinivas said.
Under section 5(1) (f) of the Citizenship Act any one seeking Indian citizenship should stay for 12 months before submitting his application.
Adi Srinivas contended that Ramesh had stayed only 96 days in India before applying for Indian citizenship, Ramesh asserted that he had stayed for more than a year.
Ramesh who had gone to Germany for higher studies in 1980s and renounced his Indian citizenship in 1993 to become German citizen, returned to India in 2008 with the intention of contesting election.
Son of veteran CPI leader Ch Rajeshwara Rao and nephew of the Maharashtra governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Ramesh said, "I am confident of winning this legal battle. I will seek a review of Home Ministry report", Ramesh said in a statement.
He alleged that the people who could not fight against him on people’s issues had gone to court to create problems for him.
Meanwhile the State Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar lal said that the election commission had no role in cancelling the election of Ramesh and only Supreme Court can take a decision.