HYDERABAD: Lashing out at TRS working president KT Rama Rao for his comments on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s tour of Telangana and criticism of the Grand Old Party, TPCC working president A Revanth Reddy on Sunday reminded the IT Minister that it was the Congress that had not only granted Telangana, but also given political life to his father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekar Rao, when he was the vice-president of the Youth Congress back in the day.
Addressing media persons at Gandhi Bhavan here, Revanth revisited the political journey of the Chief Minister, which began with him losing the election for the single-window director’s post, when the Congress had made him the single-window chairman.On Rama Rao saying that Rahul Gandhi had lost in Amethi and had to flee to Wayanad, Revanth pointed out that even the Chief Minister had to taste defeat when he had contested for the first time from Siddipet Assembly constituency.
He said that it was the Chandrasekhar Rao, who had mastered the art of fleeing, which could be seen the way he had shifted from Siddipet to Karimnagar and then to Mahbubnagar and Medak and finally Gajwel constituency, making false promises to the people and cheating them in every constituency he had represented.On Rama Rao asking in what position did Rahul Gandhi participate in ‘Rythu Sangharshana Sabha’ at Warangal, Revanth reminded that the Gandhi scion was a former AICC president and is presently his colleague in Parliament, and had come to offer his support to the State Congress.
“Should we call Chandrasekhar Rao a nomad and vagabond to go and meet Chief Ministers Naveen Patnaik, Mamata Banerjee, Stalin and former chief minister Sharad Pawar?” Revanth wondered, observing that Rama Rao, who had studied in Guntur, Pune and the US, was not even qualified for the post of a clerk in Telangana as per the Mulki Rules, and had no moral standing to criticise Rahul Gandhi or the Congress.
Responding to Rama Rao’s criticism of the grand old party, Revanth walked through the struggle for Independence, when Motilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru had to stay imprisoned for years, also reminding how Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had shed their blood to fight the forces trying to divide the country.
“Though Sonia Gandhi could have become the Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, she made PV Narasimha Rao, a son of Telangana, the Prime Minister, who liberalised the economy and helped the country achieve great progress. Economists, Dalits and common people with no political background in their family were made Chief Ministers, Presidents and Ministers in the Congress government,” he reminded Rama Rao.
Revanth then advised Rama Rao to go slap his father on both his cheeks and then start criticising the Congress.Alleging that Rama Rao and his friends have indulged in corruption in the reconstruction works of Yadagirigutta, and that the ruling party had inflated the cost of Telangana Martyrs Memorial construction by Rs 150 crore from Rs 62 crore, Revanth vowed to order an inquiry into the “scam” and file criminal cases on those involved when Congress comes to power.
On MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticising Rahul Gandhi, former minister Shabbir Ali wondered why the AIMIM president wouldn’t field a strong candidate from Goshamahal represented by BJP MLA Raja Singh, where his party’s office Darussalam was located.He alleged that BJP, TRS and MIM were all working in tandem to keep the Congress away from power.