HYDERABAD/NIZAMABAD/ADILABAD/KARIMNAGAR : Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday ripped into both the BRS and BJP during his campaign for the graduates’ MLC elections, accusing the parties of colluding to hurt the Congress’ prospects.
He alleged that the BRS’ decision to stay out of the MLC elections while calling for Congress’ defeat was part of a larger conspiracy.
According to him, this strategy was devised at former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s farmhouse to shield his son and BRS working president KT Rama Rao from potential arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Revanth further claimed that Rama Rao and MLA T Harish Rao had met BJP leaders in Delhi seeking protection from arrests in pending cases.
“BRS leaders have surrendered Telangana’s self-respect at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet to get off the ED’s hook. In return, they are urging people to defeat the Congress,” he said at public meetings he addressed while campaigning for Congress candidate V Narender Reddy in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ constituency MLC poll.
Accompanied by TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud and his Cabinet colleagues, Revanth addressed public meetings in Nizamabad, Mancherial and Karimnagar.
BJP protecting KCR, KT Rama Rao in phone-tapping case: CM Revanth
Revanth questioned why senior BJP leaders from Telangana, including Union ministers, had not taken steps to have the phone-tapping case accused T Prabhakar Rao and Sravan Rao deported to India from the US.
“Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay are protecting KCR and KTR from arrest in the phone-tapping case,” he alleged, further questioning why the ED had not acted against Rama Rao in the Formula E case despite having evidence.
He asserted that the Telangana government would arrest all accused in the phone-tapping case within 48 hours of Prabhakar Rao’s and Sravan Rao’s deportation.
Revanth also accused Union minister and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy of obstructing Telangana’s development. He claimed BJP MPs had informed him that Kishan was preventing state-related issues from being discussed in the Union Cabinet, leading to non-release of Central funds for key projects like the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and Metro Rail extension.
The chief minister said that the BRS lost power in the 2023 Assembly elections, forfeited deposits in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and now lacks candidates for the 2025 MLC elections. “If you claim you can win Assembly byelections, why not contest the MLC elections?” he asked the BRS leadership, asking the party to clarify whether its real objective was to defeat Modi or him in the MLC polls.
‘Modi failed to pass a bill in Parl on SC classification’
Reiterating his government’s commitment to social justice, Revanth highlighted the importance of the caste census and SC sub-classification.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to pass a bill in Parliament on SC sub-classification and said that his government would enact legislation on the issue within a year.
Addressing allegations regarding Muslim reservations, he clarified that 29 Muslim categories were included in the Backward Classes (BC) list by the Mandal Commission — a decision upheld by the Supreme Court and implemented in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
“I have not given any reservations to Muslims in the caste census. I only disclosed the numbers through a survey, as promised by my leader Rahul Gandhi,” he stated.
Revanth urged the graduates and teachers to support the Congress, highlighting the government’s fulfilment of job promises — 55,000 government jobs, including 11,000 teaching posts — the establishment of a skills university to enhance employment prospects, and a sports university to promote athletics. He stressed that defeating the BJP was crucial for securing Central funds for Telangana.