HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday accused BJP national president Nitin Nabin and the Returning Officer (RO) in Madhya Pradesh of conspiring to prevent AICC general secretary Meenakshi Natarajan from entering the Rajya Sabha, alleging that they had “stolen a seat” through a politically motivated decision.
Interacting with the media in New Delhi, Revanth alleged that the RO acted in a biased manner and rejected Meenakshi’s nomination despite there being no case against her. He also blamed BJP national president Nitin Nabin and party leaders for what he described as a larger conspiracy to ensure her defeat.
“The BJP has been stealing votes for years. Now it has gone on to steal a Rajya Sabha seat,” the chief minister alleged.
Claiming that the BJP’s decision to field three candidates for the RS seats from Madhya Pradesh was part of a pre-planned strategy, Revanth said the saffron party leaders and election officials had worked together to block the Congress nominee. He described Meenakshi as a Gandhian leader and alleged that the BJP had acted in an anti-democratic and anti-women manner.
Revanth maintained that the private complaint cited against Meenakshi had no connection to her. He said the issue pertained to a period when Manickam Tagore was the party’s state affairs in-charge and arose from a dispute between Srilatha and Shivakumar.
Questioning how either the state affairs in-charge or Meenakshi could be held responsible for a dispute between two individuals, Revanth argued that a private complaint does not automatically make a person an accused.
“Just because a court issues a notice does not mean a person is guilty. When there is no FIR, where is the case?” he asked.
He further alleged that the BJP was suppressing democratic processes and political opposition. “Until now, people believed the BJP followed Nathuram Godse’s ideology. Now it is following the methods of Kim Jong Un,” he remarked.
Targets Kishan again
The chief minister also renewed his attack on Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, alleging once again that he was obstructing central approvals and funds meant for Telangana.
Kishan hasn’t written single letter to PM for funds: CM
Revanth claimed that while the state government was pursuing financial assistance and project clearances from the Union government, Kishan was attempting to block those efforts. He alleged that the proposed Metro Rail Phase-II extension to Malkajgiri was facing hurdles because of political considerations.
Stating that he had no personal differences with Kishan, Revanth said he was questioning him in his capacity as Telangana’s representative in the Union Cabinet.
“Has Kishan Reddy written even one letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking funds, projects or support for Telangana?” he asked.
He also questioned why BJP MPs from Telangana were not collectively pressing the Union government on issues such as the Regional Ring Road, Metro Rail Phase-II and pending financial assistance from the Indian Railway Finance Corporation. He said Telangana BJP MPs should make it clear that they were prepared to resign if the Centre continued to ignore the state’s interests.
On Pawan Kalyan
Clarifying his government’s position on Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena chief K Pawan Kalyan, Revanth said there was no restriction on anyone campaigning or contesting elections in Telangana.
However, he said political leaders in Telangana were entitled to respond whenever remarks were made against the state or its people. Referring to recent comments by Pawan Kalyan, he said Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar had already responded to the issues raised.
He said police had denied permission for Pawan’s proposed public meeting because of law-and-order concerns and noted that similar restrictions were imposed in other states as well.
Rules out Cabinet expansion
Revanth said there was no discussion at present on expanding the state Cabinet and maintained that the existing team was functioning effectively. “All Congress MLAs are qualified and deserving, but it is not possible to accommodate everyone in the Cabinet,” he said.
He also clarified his recent remarks on the term “Hydra”, saying he had only referred to its association with Hitler and questioned whether anyone in a democracy could praise the dictator. Revanth said his recent meeting with the prime minister focused on Telangana’s development priorities and Centre-state coordination.
He also raised issues between Telangana and Maharashtra that were affecting project execution and informed the prime minister about the state’s requirement of around 1,500 acres of land in Maharashtra.
Revanth said he was scheduled to meet Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in July to discuss the pending issues and expressed confidence that the talks would help move forward key development projects.