Maganti Gopinath’s mother accuses KTR of denying glimpse of her son in hospital

HYDERABAD

In a fresh controversy involving BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and party’s candidate for Jubilee Hills bypoll Maganti Sunitha, Maganti Mahananda Kumari, mother of the late MLA Maganti Gopinath, has alleged that hospital authorities denied her, her elder son, and his wife, a glimpse of Mr. Gopinath at the behest of Mr. Rama Rao. She demanded an explanation from KTR and Ms. Sunitha.

Speaking to the media after appearing before Serilingampally Deputy Collector and Tahsildar in connection with the inquiry over the issuance of a family member certificate (FMC) to Ms. Sunitha on Wednesday, Ms. Mahananda Kumari made these scathing remarks against KTR, accusing him and Ms. Sunitha of orchestrating a plan to deny her entry to the ICU where her son was said to be on ventilator.

“The hospital authorities gave standard instructions to their staff not to allow me, despite being the mother. I was not even informed about his admission to the hospital. Once, I even waited outside the ICU and chanced upon meeting KTR. Though I requested him to allow me to see my son, he shut the door and left,” she said, questioning the behaviour of KTR and hospital authorities.

“Is it right to not allow a 92-year-old woman to see her 63-year-old son in hospital in his final days?” she asked.

The allegations come amid a dispute over an FMC issued to Ms. Sunitha, which Ms. Mahananda Kumari has challenged, stating that Ms. Sunitha is not Mr. Gopinath’s wife. The authorities are reviewing the FMC, and an inquiry has been conducted.

Mr. Gopinath’s first wife Malini Devi and her son Taraq Pradhumna Kosaraju had earlier lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that his father Mr. Gopinath’s only legally wedded wife was his mother, and appeared before the Serilingampally Deputy Collector and Tahsildar.