Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy wondered whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi was collecting ‘AA’ tax or running an ‘AA’ government referring to some businessmen allegedly close to the latter.
Mr. Reddy was responding to Mr. Modi’s charge that ‘RR’ tax was being imposed in Telangana, indirectly referring ‘RR’ as “Revanth and Rahul” tax. “We can also accuse the Centre of collecting ‘AA’ tax,” he said, while addressing a Meet-the-Press, organised by the Press Club in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
‘Busy clearing mess’
The Minister said that the Congress government was busy clearing the mess of the 10-year rule of the BRS government for three months since it took over power. The poll code came into effect immediately. With empty coffers, the government was busy raising money to fulfil its poll promises. “How can there be any tax when there is no money?” he asked.
‘KCR a dead snake’
Speaking on a range of issues, Mr. Reddy took the BRS to task and said the party would lose its relevance after June 4 and perhaps the Telangana Bhavan (BRS party office) would also be locked. He refused to acknowledge that BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao was still a force and said that he wouldn’t want to kill a ‘dead snake’.
He said KCR’s family had occupied every space and didn’t even leave the liquor business. BRS MLC Kavitha’s arrest by the ED and CBI damaged Telangana’s image at the national level. He also took pot-shots at KCR’s deeksha during the Telangana agitation saying he was on vitamins that could save him for decades. “I sat on a fast-unto-death for Telangana after resigning as a Minister for 10 days. Doctors had to lift me as I would have died if I continued,” he said.
Praises CM
Praising Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his functioning, he said that during the BRS regime, even the Ministers could not get an attendance of the Chief Minister, but now anyone can walk into the CM’s office for work. “We have total freedom in work that was just a dream for Ministers under BRS,” he said. “What more can anyone ask for?”.
Ridiculing KCR’s claim that 25 Congress MLAs were in touch with him, he said he could reveal the names of 25 BRS MLAs who were in touch with the Congress. “Some BRS LS candidates came to me expressing their desire to join the Congress but I asked them to wait,” he said.
