HYDERABAD: Timing matters.
Three legislators having lunch in the Assembly dining hall would seldom raise eyebrows. But when BRS working president KT Rama Rao, Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and BJP MLA Payal Shankar are seen seated together, engaged in a conversation that lasted close to two hours, speculation gathers strength.
The lunch came at a time when Rama Rao is facing scrutiny in the Formula E race case, with the ACB having named him as A1 in its chargesheet. Simultaneously, Rajagopal Reddy’s renewed push for a Cabinet berth and Payal Shankar’s positioning within the BJP legislature party have added layers to what might otherwise have been dismissed as routine Assembly camaraderie.
As expected, the three leaders have played down the interaction as casual and unplanned, but that has done little to ease the raised eyebrows.
Undaunted, they maintain that there is little to read into the meeting.
Rajagopal Reddy said, “There was nothing important. We met during lunchtime in the MLAs’ dining hall.” He added that he had raised political differences with Rama Rao, pointing to the BRS decision to induct 12 Congress MLAs after winning 88 seats in 2018, which he said “did not go well with the people.”
He also dismissed
speculation about any rift with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, stating, “There is no gap between me and the chief minister. There was no special meeting on Monday; I greeted him while entering the House.”
At the same time, he reiterated that the party high command had assured him of a Cabinet position, adding that his inclusion would strengthen both the party and the government, and send a message to those who had “fought for Telangana”.
Payal Shankar, speaking separately, described the interaction as incidental.
“It was a routine lunch meeting, not pre-arranged,” he said, firmly ruling out any understanding between the BJP and the BRS. He added that he conveyed to Rama Rao that “there is no advantage for any party that uses police for political vendetta” and that “arrogance, rather than development, was a reason for the BRS losing power.”
Rama Rao, for his part, sought to broaden the context of the meeting. “I had lunch with several MLAs, not only two members. We discussed several issues. There is nothing important or related to any special political matter,” he said.
Yet, despite the uniform insistence that the interaction was inconsequential, the extended duration of the discussion and the convergence of leaders from three rival parties have left it open to interpretation.