HYDERABAD: BRS working president K T Rama Rao gave a strong counter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s remarks that the former should ‘shed arrogance’ and Harish Rao should ‘curb jealousy’ following the BRS defeat in the Jubilee Hills byelection. On Saturday, Rama Rao, addressing the media after meeting party cadre in Jubilee Hills, said the people of Telangana “clearly know who is truly arrogant.” He alleged that Congress won the byelection through rowdyism, misuse of power, bogus votes and large-scale cash distribution.
He also visited the residence of defeated BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha Gopinath and consoled her family members. He praised Sunitha and her children for putting up a spirited fight despite what he described as “severe intimidation and malpractices” by the Congress.
“Victory and defeat are part of politics. The party will stand firmly by you at all times,” he assured them. Rama Rao also accused the Congress of unleashing violence less than 24 hours after the results were announced. “During our 10-year rule, we won many byelections and local body polls, but never attacked opposition workers. But today, the Congress has begun gunda raj,” he said.
He urged BRS workers not to feel demoralised, stating, “Every BRS worker is like family. We will protect you. In times of trouble, we will always stand by you.” Rama Rao demanded that the Congress take responsibility for the attack on BRS workers and announced that the party would hold a detailed review meeting on Tuesday to assess the Jubilee Hills bypoll outcome.