Hyderabad Blues

The star in trouble

After the 2014 elections, 45-year-old Telugu Desam MLA Revanth Reddy was the brightest star in the party in Telangana. He was the one who constantly took on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on issues ranging from the infamous "household survey" to promises of two acres of land to the landless poor, to KCR's vasthu fascination. He attacked KCR for causing innumerable hurdles in the Hyderabad Metro rail project.

Revanth had released documents in September, 2014 alleging that the Telangana CM had favoured My Home Group owner Jupally Rameswara Rao in securing land that was actually allotted to Metro Rail. Revanth said that KCR had exempted Jupally from a payment of Rs 26 crore stamp duty within 20 days of coming to power. The TD MLA said this plea to excuse the My Home Group from paying stamp duty was rejected by the earlier CM Kiran Kumar Reddy on June 26, 2014.

Revanth had alleged that KCR had threatened Hyderabad Metro MD N V S Reddy to issue a statement saying the Gachibowli land under contention was in possession of the L&T and not with any private developer. "If what I say is wrong, then why did NVS Reddy object to allotment of land to the My Home Group. NVS Reddy wrote a letter saying L&T was planning to withdraw from the project," stated Revanth at the time. The My Home Group then issued a statement saying it would sue Revanth for trying to damage the image of the company and denied the allegations.

TD partymen are wondering how such a sharp man as Revanth played right into the hands of the TRS. The possible legal trouble for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is of course a given if the Anti-Corruption Bureau names him as an accused. Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy has hinted that the ACB is in possession of telephonic conversations between Naidu and TRS MLA Elvis Stephenson who helped the ACB trap Revanth.

In the sting videos released after Revanth's arrest, an interesting factor comes to light. Revanth Reddy is seen holding a basic Nokia model which he tilts towards Elvis Stephenson after handing over the cash. This indicates that Revanth was recording Stephenson's conversation not knowing that a bigger trap was being laid for him. Revanth is quite a pro when it comes to spy recording conversations, be it with politicians or even journalists. He uses the voice recorder option to the hilt. He often changes vehicles to avoid being spied upon by Intelligence sources and seldom answers his phone. An aide vets every person who calls Revanth and only after being convinced that the purpose is "genuine", hands over the phone to the MLA.

So this particular cash-for-vote scandal which he got caught in, was a case of over-ambitiousness, say TD supporters. Revanth has pushed another Telangana TD MLA Erraballi Dayakar Rao into the background of late. Erraballi, a Velama by caste (same as KCR), was rumoured to be hobnobbing with KCR after the polls. But he never did transit into the ruling party. Whispers state that Erraballi is secretly pleased or in fact even knew that Revanth was landing the TD in a sticky spot.
In a report about KCR's vasthu obsession, Revanth had told this correspondent that KCR was a political version of the eccentric and unreliable Ram Gopal Varma.

There was never any love lost between KCR's family and Revanth. In fact, way back in 2011, KCR's son K T Rama Rao had casually voiced his dislike for Revanth to this correspondent. Snorting in anger when asked about one of Revanth's statements, Rama Rao had said, "Revanth is like a creeper, he creeps and he twines.”     

It is unlikely that Revanth Reddy is going to be let off so easily in this investigation where the term "being caught red-handed" fits perfectly. Incidentally, Revanth's daughter is getting engaged on June 11 and the family is moving heaven and earth to secure his bail before that.

In the sting tapes, Revanth Reddy is also seen speaking to Elvis Stephenson about caste politics in the two States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He says, "Reddys are the dominant caste other than the Kammas. All the other Reddys such as Jana Reddy, Jaipal Reddy are now out of the race. I am there for the next 25 years or so. So you can depend on me for anything." He terms KCR (a Velama) a "third force" who neither the Reddys nor Kammas are comfortable with. Revanth is married to Geeta, who is Congress leader Jaipal Reddy's niece. In his younger days, before entering politics, he even did some freelance work as an artist for Telugu newspaper Andhra Bhoomi.
 
Autorickshaw diaries

In an earlier column of Hyderabad Blues, this correspondent had talked about the woes caused to commuters by auto drivers. Well, there is another side of the coin which one confesses to have ignored. Their woes. In a recent auto ride, this columnist lent an ear to driver Ramu Naik who hails from Choutuppal of Nalgonda district. This is a part of Telangana which has strong Left leanings. Both the CPI and CPM have deep roots in the district. It is currently represented by Gutha Sukhender Reddy of the Congress. Earlier, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy of CPI was a strongman of Nalgonda. Ramu Naik, an ST, is a fierce CPI supporter. He makes his distaste for KCR clear in course of conversation and lets Telangana-style abuses flow freely. Ramu reads a couple of papers everyday and watches Telugu news programmes frequently. He says that Dalit rights activists such as Kancha Ilaiah were only too right when they warned students of Telangana against falling for KCR's promises. "Nothing has changed for STs like me after Telangana came into being. There is no Dalit CM, no two-bedroom houses and no jobs. Students from Osmania University have been completely sidelined. And let me ask you this; If KCR says that two persons in one household cannot get state pensions, then how is it that four members of his family can hold various posts of power? Is that justified?" he asks.
 
Making more

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi's punch line is "Make in India", then global home furnishings leader IKEA has taken it a step forward. It is taking up an initiative called "Make More in India" in Telangana. IKEA held a seminar in Hyderabad aimed at identifying potential suppliers in Telangana in categories such as sofas, book shelves and mattresses as well as products made in new sustainable materials such as bamboo, mango, jute and other natural fibres. The seminar, organised in collaboration with the Telangana Government, was attended by more than 80 local suppliers. 

"Hyderabad is one of our prioritised markets. As IKEA is planning to open retail stores, we look at how we will holistically grow our business in India. This will include knowledge transfer and investment in skill development, as we increase employment in both supply chain and retail," says Juvencio Maeztu, CEO, IKEA India.