Congress MP Uttam Kumar Reddy refuses to comment on Revanth’s appointment as Telangana CM
HYDERABAD: As soon as AICC general secretary KC Venugopal announced in Delhi that A Revanth Reddy was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party and that he will be the next chief minister of Telangana, celebrations erupted in the Congress camp. But there was one visibly disappointed senior leader — former PCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
As the Nalgonda MP, looking disappointed, emerged out of the AICC meeting in the national capital, the waiting presspersons surrounded him, seeking his response to the Congress leadership’s decision.
Uttam, who won the Nalgonda Assembly seat in the just-concluded elections, however, refused to comment as he tried to make his way through the mediapersons. With disappointment writ large on his face, all he said was, “let me go”.
Earlier in the day, speaking to the media, Uttam did not rule out lobbying with the party’s top leaders for the coveted post. He said that he is an MP and a six-time MLA, who served as a loyal soldier in the military as well as the Congress. He also made a specific reference to how he served the grand old party with utmost loyalty for decades. He told the media that the party would consider him for the CM’s post but refused to comment on the “aftermath” in case he was not picked by the party’s leadership.
“I am a hardcore grassroots Congress worker. I am available to my cadre all the time, helping them out whenever they are in need. I hope that the party will consider my track record,” he said, adding that he had meticulously completed the tasks entrusted to him by the party high command.
When reporters asked him why he failed to bring the party to power in 2018, he said that the political situation in the state was different then. “Back then there was no anti-incumbency against the ruling BRS. People wanted to give KCR another opportunity. Now the anti-incumbency coupled with our own efforts to bring the party to power helped the Congress,” he said.
Uttam, however, said that he was disappointed with the party securing a “borderline” majority, winning just 64 out of 119 Assembly seats.Later in the day as Venugopal addressed the media, a disappointed Uttam sat at one end of the table, lost in thought.
Revanth to resign as MP
Chief Minister-designate A Revanth Reddy will submit his resignation from the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He is likely to hand over his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with a request to accept it immediately as he is scheduled to be sworn in as the chief minister on Thursday. Likewise, Revanth’s colleagues in Lok Sabha who were elected to the Telangana Assembly, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, are likely to tender their resignations on Wednesday.