Hyderabad: Senior Congress former MLA Jagga Reddy on Friday hit out at the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leadership for what he described as a decade of inaction and political theatrics, defending Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s negotiations with the Centre and accusing K. Chandrashekar Rao of shielding himself in a farmhouse while dodging public accountability.
Speaking to media in Hyderabad, Jagga Reddy said the people of Telangana were fully aware of what happened during KCR’s ten-year rule. “That’s why they handed the reins to the Congress under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership,” he said.
He said that while KCR failed to visit the Secretariat or engage with people for a decade, Revanth and his ministers were in Delhi securing Telangana’s rightful share of funds and infrastructure. “Where was KCR when it came to dealing with the Centre? He never showed up,” Jagga Reddy said.
Referring to the BRS’s criticism of Revanth’s Delhi visit, he said the opposition was in shock after losing power. “You ruled with luxury for ten years. Now that power is gone, you’re unable to cope,” he said, adding that Revanth, Uttam Kumar Reddy, and D. Sridhar Babu were fulfilling their responsibilities.
Mocking the silence of BRS leaders, Jagga Reddy asked if they had gone blind to the work being done. “We carry the burden placed on us by the people. You were asleep in the farmhouse; do you expect us to follow your example?” he remarked.
He said during the BRS rule, even locating the Secretariat was a challenge. “Now that two Chief Ministers are holding talks, why are you weeping every day?” he said, referring to BRS leaders K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao.
Jagga Reddy also dismissed allegations of surveillance, saying, “We don’t need to use the police. If we wanted to act, we’d act directly. We’re not idle.”
Commenting on the criticism that Revanth is following Andhra CM N. Chandrababu Naidu’s script, he pointed to KCR’s own past as a TDP minister. “KCR served in Chandrababu’s Cabinet. Who joined TDP first Revanth or KCR?” he asked.
He said Harish Rao had no standing to question Revanth’s commitment to Telangana when the BRS had dropped the word “Telangana” from its party name. “First apologise for removing Telangana from your party’s name. Then talk about who is committed,” Jagga Reddy said.
He described Uttam Kumar Reddy as a fighter pilot and contrasted him with Harish Rao, whom he called a mere actor. “You can act. Uttam flies fighter jets,” he quipped.
He also took a swipe at BJP MP Bandi Sanjay, questioning why he was demanding Centre’s reports on inter-state meetings when the Centre itself had summoned both CMs.
“Revanth went fully prepared. The meeting was scheduled by the Centre. Yet you say it was not on the agenda how does that work?” he asked.
Jagga Reddy ended his remarks by saying the people were watching, and that the Congress was focused on governance while the opposition was flailing. “BRS is suffering strokes, and they’re stuck in petty politics. Telangana doesn’t need that anymore,” he said.
