Jubilee Hills Bypoll: Revanth Reddy Alleges BRS–BJP Nexus Aimed At Defeating Congress Candidate

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of joining hands to defeat the Congress in the upcoming November 11 bypoll for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency.

Speaking at a public meeting in Yusufguda on Wednesday night in support of Congress nominee Naveen Yadav, Reddy alleged that Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao was “like two sides of the same coin.”

Referring to earlier statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Reddy reminded the gathering that both leaders had described the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, built under the previous BRS government, as an “ATM for KCR,” referring to BRS chief and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

He pointed out that Kishan Reddy had once demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project and even vowed to “arrest” KCR and his nephew T. Harish Rao, who was irrigation minister in the BRS cabinet.

“Though the state government handed over the probe into the Kaleshwaram project to the CBI three months ago, why has the agency still not registered an FIR?” the Chief Minister questioned.

Touching upon another controversy, Reddy said that in the Formula E race case, where Rama Rao, also an MLA, is facing allegations, the state Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) request to arrest him had been pending with the Governor for the past two months. “You think as to what is the secret pact behind this,” he remarked.

Earlier, addressing a rally at Shaikpet, the Chief Minister claimed that the BRS would “merge with the BJP soon.”

Criticising Kishan Reddy for objecting to the inclusion of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin in the state Cabinet, Revanth Reddy asked, “What is Kishan Reddy's problem if a leader belonging to minorities (Azharuddin) is made a minister?”

He further asserted that the Congress has always stood by minority communities. “Congress government provided many opportunities to minorities. It was only Congress that gave big posts to the minorities. Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress,” Reddy said.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June this year due to a heart attack. While the BJP has fielded Deepak Reddy, the BRS candidate is Gopinath’s widow, Sunita. The ruling Congress’ nominee Naveen Yadav is also backed by the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM.

With PTI inputs