HYDERABAD: The failure of the ministers in defending Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy against an avalanche of regular attacks from the two main Opposition parties BRS and BJP has led to animated discussion in the ruling party circles.
Party MLAs and senior leaders maintain a stoic silence even as the CM is being targeted by the Opposition day in and day out.
BJP Legislature Party leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy had on Friday predicted that Revanth will be replaced between June and December next year.
The comments created a high voltage tension in the party. TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, two MLAs reacted before the media perfunctorily, rubbishing the statement of the BJP leader. Meanwhile, Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy condemned the statement made by Maheshwar Reddy in a chit-chat with media persons and that is where the buck stopped.
On the other hand, a majority of ministers and MLAs have been silent and are believed to be biding time, curious to know what is happening behind the curtains. Since the formation of the Congress government in the state in December last year, the BRS and BJP have aggressively been targeting Revanth but the ministers are not going to the latter’s defence, which is causing unease in the CM’s camp.
It is interesting to note that whenever a leader of the Congress makes a harsh comment on former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, a battery of BRS leaders jump to his support and often take the Congress to the cleaners. This is on account of the fact that they recognise KCR as their leader. But the same kind of response is lacking from the Congress whenever the opposition attacks Revanth.
Same is the case with the BJP. If any Congress leader or BRS leader makes a caustic remark on the prime minister or any Union minister, the entire band of BJP leaders rushes to their defence.
A few senior leaders in the Congress are worried about the situation. They say that under the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s dispensation, all the Congress leaders used to back him whenever there was a frontal attack on him from the Opposition. At least a dozen MAs including five senior ministers used to defend YSR.
In contrast, there is no such action or counter-attack by leaders worth their salt. They seem to be reluctant to come out as one to defend Revanth. Meanwhile, some leaders speak in hushed tones why even the chief minister’s core group has fallen silent in the wake of renewed attack on Revanth.
A few ministers say that Maheshwar Reddy’s prediction will never come true as it is baseless. They say they do not want to comment on his statement which would only lend an impression that the party was taking it seriously. A senior minister told TNIE: “We don’t give space to lies of BJP leaders. That’s why do not give any importance to Maheshwar Reddy’s comments.”