Probe into dam project, phone-tapping is not revenge politics: Reddy
Telangana CM predicts BJP will end up with around 240 seats as there would be little support from south India; says BJP not in a position to win more than 20 out of 129 seats in south India
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that he has not yet started “revenge politics” and indicated that if the ongoing investigations into the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project and ‘phonetapping’ case were considered as taking revenge against former CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao, “that is their problem”.
“In fact, I have not yet started taking revenge,” he said with a grin 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 on Saturday, answered a range of questions, including calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘Bade Bhai’ (big brother), the impact of 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.
‘I only target lions’
On the oftrepeated claims of the BRS that the lion (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 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 BJP during the Assembly elections, there would have been a little sympathy for him. But Ms. Kavitha’s arrest is not at all an issue here,” he said, arguing that she was arrested in a corruption charge in Delhi and not 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 States. So I asked him to show some largeheartedness 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 while taking potshots at his critics.
Mr. Reddy said 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.
Mr. Reddy also 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. Even KCR claimed more than 100 Assembly seats but ended up with 39 seats.
PM ignored Lord Rama
To a question if Mr. Gandhi was sending a wrong signal by continuing to target Mr. Modi on Ram Mandir politics, the Chief Minister replied that it was late Rajiv Gandhi who first allowed the pooja to the Ram idol. Mr. Rahul Gandhi is a ‘Shiv bhakt’ and he should not be targeted for religion, he said.
“BJP will not gain much from Ram Mandir politics,” he said, referring to a recent survey, and added, “Unemployment and inflation are 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 creates employment. Let him invest all the profits he made elsewhere with the support of the BJP government.”
Mr. Reddy said south India has experienced leaders like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal and Mr. Rahul Gandhi. “They all have the qualities to lead the country,” he said.