The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday, September 5, suspended Satyavedu MLA Koneti Adimulam for allegedly sexually assaulting a party functionary. The survivor wrote a letter to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and other representatives of the party detailing the assault by Adimulam.
Previously a member of the YSR Congress party (YSRCP), he shifted his loyalties to the TDP before the 2024 Assembly elections, as the YSRCP had offered him a ticket in Tirupati instead of Satyavedu.
The survivor alleged that the MLA coerced her into having sex with him by threatening to kill her family if she did not give in. She recorded a video of the abuse in which the MLA is seen forcing himself on the victim.
Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, the survivor said, “My intent was to see Chandrababu Naidu as the CM. With this aim, I campaigned for Adimulam during the Assembly elections. During this time, he got my phone number, which he used to trap and coerce me. He used to blackmail me saying that he would kill my husband and children if I did not fulfill his wishes.”
She also alleged that Adimulam threatened her saying that her village and mandal will not receive any government welfare schemes if she did not oblige.
Announcing the MLA’s suspension, the party said, “It is being alleged on various platforms that Koneti Adimulam has sexually harassed a woman. The party has taken serious note of the issue and suspended him.”
Reportedly, an FIR was also filed against Adimulam. The MLA has however denied the charges, accusing leaders of his own party of conspiring against him. He said that the video was “doctored” and claimed that he did not know the woman.