Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said he has not yet started revenge politics and indicated that if at all the ongoing investigations into the Kaleshwaram fiasco and Phone tapping issues are considered taking revenge against former CM K. Chandrashekhar Rao they it is their problem.
“In fact, I have not yet started taking revenge,” he said with a grin on his face in response to a question that he was in a revengeful mood against Mr. Rao for sending him to jail when he was in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Mr. Reddy, who participated in a talk show on a private television channel, answered a range of questions, including calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘Bade Bhai’ (big brother), the impact of Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha’s arrest in the Delhi liquor Policy case, Ram Mandir politics, arrest of Arvind Kejriwal and investments of Gautam Adani in Telangana.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) released a note on how Mr. Reddy promoted his State and the positive politics that Congress pursues, based on his participation in the talk show.
On the oft-repeated claims of the BRS that the lion (Mr. KCR) will come out roaring, he shot back saying he was waiting with a “gun to shoot the lion”.
“I don’t target cats but only lions,” he said reflecting his long rivalry with Mr. KCR.
Ruling out any sympathy for BRS after Ms. Kavitha’s arrest, he said no one in Telangana was even discussing it. ‘If KCR was arrested by the BJP during the Assembly elections there could have been little sympathy for him. But Kavitha’s arrest is not at all an issue in Telangana, he said arguing that she was arrested in a corruption charge in Delhi and not in Telangana.
In his trademark style, Mr. Reddy defended his reference to Mr. Modi as ‘Bade Bhai’. “Yes, being the PM Mr. Modi is the bade bhai of all the states. So I asked him to show some large-heartedness in giving more funds to Telangana and not just Gujarat.” One has to be mature to understand the meeting between a Chief Minister and a Prime Minister, he said taking potshots at his critics.
Mr. Reddy said he was unwilling to fight with institutions like the Central Government, the Governor or the PM but his ideological fight with the BJP will continue. He said Rahul Gandhi was doing the same; his target is divisive politics and not the PM per se.
In his inimitable satirical style, Mr. Reddy mocked the BJP, saying that if the party wants to win 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, it should also fight elections in other countries. He predicted that BJP would end up with around 240 seats as there would be little support from South India. He said out of 129 seats in the South, BJP is not in a position to win more than 20 seats. Even Mr. KCR claimed more than 100 seats but ended up with 39 seats.
Modi ignored Lord Rama
To a question if Mr. Gandhi was sending a wrong signal by continuing to target Mr. Modi on Ram Mandir politics, Mr. Reddy shot back saying it was late PM Rajiv Gandhi who first allowed the pooja to the Ram idol. Mr. Rahul Gandhi is a Shiv Bhakth and why was he being targeted on the religious angle, he asked. He accused Mr. Modi of not visiting the famous Bhadrachalam Ram temple. “We as Ram bhakths we visit the temple. Why did Mr. Modi skip it.”
The ‘Ram Mandir’ politics will not fetch much to the BJP, he said referring to a recent surveys. Unemployment and inflation were the major issues that came up in the survey and not religious and emotive issues.
On the criticism that Mr. Adani is being welcomed for investments, he said Telangana was open for investments and not loot. “We will ensure that Mr. Adani invests in Telangana and create employment. Let him invest all the profits he made elsewhere with the support of the BJP government.”
South has top leaders to lead India
Mr. Reddy said that South India has experienced leaders like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, K. C. Venugopal and also Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who represents a South Indian State in Parliament. “They all have the qualities to lead the country as a Prime Minister.”
