Are BRS and Congress getting closer? We have seen BRS MPs protesting side by side with Congress over disqualification of Rahul Gandhi.
Delhi is like a mela. Anyone can participate in it. There is no restriction or qualification to join. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made some comments that on this specific issue, she is onboard with Congress but not the rest. BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has come to support but not his partner MIM president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi. MIM and BRS are allies. When KCR is extending his solidarity, why can’t Asad? KCR is, I can say, a born liar and cheater. We don’t believe him. We are least bothered about KCR or his party. If he wants to join completely, how come Asad has not condemned the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi or vacation of his house notice. KCR is a strategic player. Asad has not uttered a word because KCR said no. Ultimately, what is their goal? It is to be in the good books of Narendra Modi and increase their bargaining capacity. KCR will get scope to bargain if he poses for a photo with us. It is simple. MIM claims anti-BJP is in its DNA. Recently, they won MLC poll in alliance. Why is KCR not bringing his life partner onboard over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification? As of now, MIM is the only serious partner of KCR.When there is a serious issue like Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, BRS gives adjournment notice on Women’s Reservation Bill! What are we talking, what are they doing in the House? My personal opinion is that KCR is like an item song in movies. We don’t take him seriously.
But, is it not a fact that BRS has moved the Supreme Court along with other non-BJP parties against the alleged misuse of central agencies whereas you are demanding ED and CBI probes in the State. How do you explain this contradiction?
We are opposed to ED cases that smack of political vendetta. ED has booked approximately 5,400 cases since 2014. We have not opposed all of them nor did we say the department itself should not exist. We oppose only cases that are intended to take political vengeance and harass select leaders. Congress says in this and this case, you are behaving out of the way which is not correct. Take the Delhi liquor scam for example. Congress is one of the complainants! We didn’t oppose ED probe into liquor scam even at the national level. Our spokespersons Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera demanded that there should be an inquiry.Where is the common ground between us and KCR? Where did the money given by KCR go? To defeat Congress in Punjab and Goa. Who did he support? Those who oppose Congress. We lost in Punjab and Goa because of AAP. If KCR were with us, why would he try to defeat us in both the States?
Why would he do that as you claim? Who do you think he is aligned with?
We have to debate who is behind him at the next level. KCR is adopting strategies to increase his bargaining capacity. As part of it, his first target is Congress. He is not targeting the BJP. He is targeting only Congress and its allies. It is a win-win for both the BRS and BJP. BRS benefits if Congress is weakened in the State and BJP stands to gain at the national level.
You can’t deny that the Chief Minister praised former prime minister Manmohan Singh in the Assembly.
Lip sympathy is of no use after he betrayed the Congress time and again. He ditched the party in 2004 after having an alliance. In 2014, he went to our leader Sonia Gandhi and promised to merge his party with the Congress. In 2020, he supported others to defeat us in three States. Between 2014 and 2022, he poached 153 Congress leaders from MLAs and MLCs to others.
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Given the way ED is going after MLC Kavitha, how could you say that BJP and BRS are on the same page?
I am telling you time and again. You are in a bubble they have created. Let me remind you. There is the Sahara case against KCR which we filed in 2011. There is a CBI case against him over irregularities in ESI hospitals. Why haven’t they filed a chargesheet against KCR? He is directly accused in these cases as he was the Union labour minister at the time these scams were perpetrated. The probe agencies can summon KCR but they don’t. Why begin with Kejriwal, conduct searches here and there and reach Kavitha at the tail-end? Are we fools to believe it all? They are selling a story. Their packaging is very good but product quality is poor.
Do you think these cases will influence the electorate?
People will think about it to some extent. It is not that relevant for them. What is relevant for them is governance of the last 10 years and what we are going to do in the next 10 years. They are useful for chit chat and for speeches to build a bridge. That is not the real content.
The KCR government has rolled out several welfare schemes and improved irrigation besides ensuring uninterrupted power supply. Why do you think they have not done anything?
If you think that way, we never needed freedom from the Nizam. There was nobody who did as much for development and welfare than the Nizam. Now, we are earning thousands of crores from Cyberabad. Late chief minister YS Rajasekhar reddy was for welfare and development, Chandrababu Naidu was for development and NTR stood for welfare. Then why did we have Telangana agitation? Why did we get Telangana State? People want freedom not freebies for appeasement. What is the situation in Telangana now? Opposition parties don’t have freedom, media has no freedom, Rythu Coolie Sanghams, Asha workers, government employees’ associations, civil society… nobody has freedom. Forget about freedom in Telangana.It is as if Razakars are back in our villages. Harassment by BRS leaders and workers has increased. They are into land grabbing, murders, sand, land, wine, mine and rapes. This is KCR’s real face. He was never a Telangana agitator. He wore a mask. I never considered him a revolutionary. Now, we see him as a traitor and betrayer.
If you say that he was never a Telangana movement leader, why did the others who fought for Telangana joined his party?
Every person has some issue, be it human relations or financial. KCR believes that. Those who fought against the Nizam did not do so because the latter grabbed their lands. If you look at it from a historical perspective, Komaram Bheem,Komaraiah and many others fought for people’s identity, liberty and freedom. KCR is the other mode of Qazim Rizvi. Now, we have the same fight on our hands.
Do you deny development in Telangana?
There is something wrong in your outlook. You are not prepared to accept what the Congress had done in 50 years. I am on record, challenging the State government. KCR is the irrigation minister now. Earlier it was Harish Rao. T Nageswara Rao and Kadiam Srihari held the portfolios in the combined State. Let them all come. I will come alone as a layman. I will place records ayacut-wise, project-wise, acres-wise. If they prove that the KCR government has ensured irrigation for an additional 4-5 lakh acres, I will not seek votes from the people. We will compare status of all the irrigation projects then and what has been completed till date. You name any project from minor to major, I am ready to debate as a layman.What was taken up by the Congress between 2004 and 2014 and what KCR has.
The government did revive canals and supplied irrigation water through Kaleshwaram.
Canals? That is not capital investment. It is maintenance. What he did was remove silt, clear, for example, five per cent bottlenecks in Kalvakurthi and claimed that he has built it. He can even say he created Telangana, he brought Bhagiratha from Shiva’s head to the earth and then, to Kaleshwaram and supplied water to villages. What can I do? What am I saying is let us debate facts and figures. Pranahita-Chevella project envisioned irrigation for 16 lakh acres. He added two lakh acres and escalated the cost from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 1,40,000 crore. If we brought lift irrigation, he did the reverse. I am ready to debate on two issues. If I am proved wrong, I will quit politics. One, power projects and second, irrigation. They claim to have resolved everything. It is the best opportunity to prove themselves. They tried to kill me politically but couldn’t. Now, I am giving them an easy way.Let us have a public debate on their achievements from June 2, 2014 to date and our achievements from 2004 to 2014. Let us focus on welfare, power, development, and irrigation. Did they even add one MW? They may have completed those that were in the pipeline and completed up to 80-90 per cent by us. That could be around 2000 MW. They started only two power projects — Yadadri, and Bhadradri. Units were shut down in Bhadradri. We had told them then itself that sub-critical technology was already banned. After 2014, sub-critical was phased out. Parliament enacted a law that even such existing projects be converted to super critical technology. What was the result of KCR’s decisions? Bhadradri units cost went up from Rs 7,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore.
But is it not a fact that there are no power holidays now?
Let us go to any sub-station where 24-hour power supply is supposed to be given. We will not ask for even a single vote if they can prove 24-hour power supply. If you talk of Mission Bhagiratha, recently, there was a protest which forced the authorities to dig a borewell. The Central government has also certified the programme lauding 100 per cent coverage of Mission Bhagiratha — water supply to all households. Let us go to a gram panchayat in Adilabad district and check.What additional infrastructure did they create? Didn’t Hyderabad have drinking water earlier? Who brought Krishna phase-1, phase-II , and the Godavari water. What did Telugu Desam government do, what did Janardhan Reddy do? Whatever was done was done between 1994 and 2014.
BRS leaders are already going to the people and enthusing their cadre through Atmeetya Sammelans. Congress doesn’t appear to be matching them.
Y
ou are reluctant to see us! I am the party president and equal to KCR. I am on a padayatra. Today, every Congress leader is going door-to-door in every village. After the Warangal Declaration, we released our poll manifesto. Go and check.
Some claim that you were in the TRS before joining the TDP. Is it true?
I have to give you clarity on this. I was the Jubilee Hills Society convener in 1999-2000. It was my first election. At that time, there were factors, both Andhra and Telangana. I supported TRS and KCR because I felt Telangana was getting a raw deal. I contested as an independent in the 2006 ZPTC polls. If I wanted, I could have easily got TRS B form. I was offered MLA ticket in 2004 too but in the alliance talks, it went to the Congress. I withdrew. In 2007, I contested as an independent in MLC polls and won. I was never a member of the TRS.
But, you were quite close to KCR from 2009 to 2014. Isn’t it? What change did you observe in him?
KCR has never changed. However, during that period, Telangana people overlooked his bad qualities. We had differences but for a larger cause, we turned a blind eye to his deficiencies. The purpose was served by June 2, 2014 when Telangana State was formed. Thereafter, the political game began.
It is said that you were responsible for KCR contesting from Mahbubnagar? If so, why did you do it? Later, you were defeated in Kodangal by the TRS.
There was an argument at that time that there was no Telangana sentiment in south Telangana. Those opposed to Telangana would advance this argument that it was limited only to north Telangana. I then advised KCR to stand in Mahbubnagar. My logic was that if he wins there, it would be felt that the sentiment was everywhere. Mahbubnagar was the right platform as it had all the problems such as migrations, unemployment, drought etc plaguing Telangana. We supported him then.
Has your relationship with KCR now turned into a personal rivalry?
I don’t take it personally. You may think my expression is personal because we have person-centric politics in Telangana. In the Middle Ages, kings used to think state and king are the same. KCR too believes the same. He is the king and the people are his slaves. He won’t care if people fight for their rights. Ask Singareni workers, RTC employees or anyone for that matter. How many activists are in jail? How many murdered? Manda Krishna Madiga was crushed. His was a non-violent movement which he ran for over 25 years. KCR picks one prominent person from every field. In politics, it is Revanth Reddy, in media Ravi Prakash etc. He is convinced that if he can rein in the prominent faces, he can intimidate everyone.
Coming back to your party, there was a revolt of sorts against you recently. Have these differences been resolved?
Congress has great DNA historically… from Mahatma Gandhi, and Subhas Chandra Bose to the modern times. It is a platform for diverse opinions and different personalities. It is the secret of its success. During the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s time, there were big leaders who could command entire districts. But these differences within the party become irrelevant for people at one point. People go by personalities. In 2004, there was only Chandrababu Naidu on one side and YSR on the other side as far as the people were concerned. With all its internal issues, the Congress won a massive majority and reduced TDP to just 42 or so seats. People have clarity. These internal issues are only for the consumption of the media. In Telangana, 90 per cent of the media is political party-owned. It doesn’t have public interest at heart.. only political interest.
Will you contest from Kodangal?
I want to but ultimately, the party will decide.
You say that elections will be leader-centric. The BJP seems to be projecting PM Modi more than their State party chief Bandi Sanjay. Will it be a triangular fight between Revanth, Modi and KCR?
The game has changed. It will be Bandi Sanjay, KTR and you decide for yourself who is from the Congress. Modi and KCR have become irrelevant. They have opted out, claiming national, international status and even talking of winning on the moon. It is KTR who is touring the State not KCR. KCR is visiting other States. He not only dropped the name of Telangana from his party but also left State politics. Congress will decide who will be its face. I know my enemies who are KTR and Sanjay. BJP itself has clarified that they are going into elections with Sanjay as leader. In BRS, KTR is the successor. Their own ministers say so.
So, under the circumstances, there will be a triangular fight?
Canvassing will be triangular but voting will be face-to-face between only two. Take the last four bypolls in Dubbaka, Huzurabad, Huzurnagar, and Nagarjuna Sagar. People shifted to a party they thought is the alternative to KCR. BJP secured 2,000 votes in Huzurnagar and 7,000 in Nagajunasagar. But in Huzurabad, they say Congress got only 3,000 votes and that there is no Congress at all. It is not about a candidate. There will be three in the campaign but only two in voting. People will decide who should win depending on the situation.
From your padayatra, what is your feedback? What do you see?
BJP is not in the field, it is in the media. BJP has no relevance at the ground level. Only the Congress is present. Point is Congress and BRS voting blocks are the same. Why do you think KCR is afraid of the Congress? SCs, STs, Minorities, Backward Castes gave power to KCR when they didn’t want Congress. Now, if they don’t want BRS, they will give power to Congress. They constitute more than 70 per cent of population in Telangana. Why else do you think KCR is trying give the impression of being with us? Those who went from us to vote for BRS will return to us. They are angry with BRS. As for the BJP, it grows rapidly up to 20 per cent. After that, it struggles to gain even a single vote even if Modi or Lord Rama comes.
Does the Congress have that image of being an alternative to KCR?
We are working hard top to bottom.
Congress has a peculiar problem. People think even if they vote for it, its leaders may defect to other parties. How do you intend to address this?
Leaders are irrelevant. In 2004, there used to be great many differences in the party. Analyse the situation of the party then and in 2023-24. Do you see any reflection of our internal differences in our padayatra? The only solution to avoid defections is to give power to Congress. I am telling the people that there is no point in giving me a number short of majority. When people decide, it will be a clear mandate. Mark my words, KCR will not win more than 25 seats.
Will you be the chief minister?
I have seen all electoral platforms. KCR was defeated in single window director’s election. As MLA too, he lost his first election. He has since decided that he needs to deceive to win. As for me, people have to give any promotion.
What would be your first decision? Or the Congress party’s if it comes to power...
I have an excellent idea for farmers. Past governments used to give implements, input subsidy, insurance, and every farmer used to get Rs 40,000 per acre. KCR rolled back everything and is giving Rs 10,000. He is actually saving Rs 30,000 per acre that belongs to the farmers. I won’t copy any scheme. I will bring something new that none in the country has thought of.
Going by your Warangal Declaration, experts say that some of your promises are impractical.
They said the same when we talked of free power, Aarogyasri, and crop loan waiver. They are not visionaries. They read the past, not the future. The promise of Rs 2 lakh loan waiver is practical. Rahul Gandhi said Revanth Reddy is accountable for the Warangal Declaration. The crop loan waiver is simple. KCR doesn’t want to implement even Rs 1 lakh loan waiver and he didn’t do it in the past four years. Farmers’ loans, including KCR’s unfulfilled Rs 1 lakh loan waiver, would hardly account for Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 crore. Since KCR didn’t pay the loans, farmers didn’t get an opportunity to borrow new loans. There are four-five different banks which give crop loans. I will hold a State-level meeting with the State Level Bankers’ Committee, and stand guarantee for farmers’ debts in the capacity of the State government. I will release pass books on the very first day. Let us say, you are buying a car taking a bank loan. You would convert the loan repayment into 35 EMIs. You have to give the bank 35 cheques. Likewise, I will convert the existing farmers’ debts at the most to 50 months. Now, how much should I pay? I would have to pay around Rs 700 crore to Rs 800 crore per month. Here, the farmers are freed on the first day itself, and the government is responsible for all the loans. KCR is splurging public money on constructing the new secretariat with Rs 1,200 crore, and another Rs 1,200 crore on collectorate complexes. KCR has spent money on super luxuries and resorted to unnecessary expenditure. I will change priorities. I don’t have any magic wand. My priority is farmers and students. I know how to redistribute wealth and save public money.
What would be the flagship schemes of Congress?
For KCR, they are pensions, and Rythu Bandhu. The rest are all old schemes. He simply changed their names and tweaked them a bit. I have a formula to address the two key issues. For farmers, we brought out our Warangal Declaration. After the declaration, there was a change in KCR on farmers’ issues. He doesn’t utilise Central funds. He doesn’t contribute matching grants for Central schemes. That is why we are losing thousands of crores. Take for instance the National Rural Health Mission. If the State gives 25 per cent matching grant, we can get thousands of crores. KCR didn’t approve the file. I studied the issue from 2014-17, and found that at least Rs 3,000 crore was sent back. Same is the case with AIBP. He didn’t submit DPR. The State could have received thousands of crores. Mahbubnagar is drought-prone. We get 90 per cent grant not loan. We receive insurance automatically. Why is KCR not going into that loop? If he applies, there will be a check list of documents. If he fills everything, he will go to jail. Whenever we ask in Parliament, the Centre says the State didn’t apply. If you observe, KCR submits representations. He won’t apply in the proper format. If you want admission in an engineering college, will you get it if you paste your bio on the college building?
You have many leaders. What about your candidates for elections?
We will release our first list after the Karnataka Assembly results. We have five candidates each for 119 seats.
BJP may try to poach your leaders ahead of elections.
When you take the plunge, you have to swim. You cannot complain and say please don’t touch me. There will be crocodiles, sharks and whales.
Are you a fish or a whale?
You have to decide. I joined Congress in October, 2017. I became PCC president in June, 2021.
TNIE team: Kalyan T, VV Balakrishna, S Bachan Jeet Singh,B Kartheek, Ireddy Srinivas Reddy, Vivek Bhoomi, Niharika Saila
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