Telangana CM Revanth Reddy mocks KTR’s debate challenge, asks him to engage with Cantonment MLA

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has ridiculed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao’s challenge for an open debate on Hyderabad’s development, recalling that the latter had backed out earlier when asked to debate on drug menace in the State.

Mr.Revanth Reddy said that in the past, when a debate was proposed either at the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial or on the floor of the Assembly, neither Mr. Rama Rao nor his father, former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, had turned up. He suggested that Mr. Rama Rao first respond to the challenge issued by Cantonment MLA Sri Ganesh, who had dared the BRS leader to talk about development works in his constituency.

Addressing a corner meeting at Shaikpet on Wednesday as part of the Jubilee Hills bypoll campaign, the Chief Minister said that Congress workers were not taking Mr. Rama Rao’s latest challenge seriously since he had “run away” from earlier debates. “When I challenged you to debate drug usage at Martyrs’ Memorial, you ran away. You and your father didn’t dare to debate in the Assembly either,” he said.

Referring to MLA Ganesh’s claim that government orders worth ₹5,000 crore had been issued for development works in the constituency, Mr.Revanth Reddy added: “You said you would resign as MLA if ₹4,000 crore worth of development works were shown. Ganesh is ready to show ₹5,000 crore worth of G.O.s. Be prepared to resign.”

The Chief Minister also rejected Union Minister and senior BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy’s call for a debate, telling him to instead question Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on what he described as their “stepmotherly treatment” of Telangana.

Mr.Revanth Reddy alleged that voting for the BRS was effectively voting for the BJP, claiming the two parties would “merge soon”. He questioned why the Prime Minister was “blocking the arrest” of Mr.Chandrashekhar Rao in the Kaleshwaram project case and of Mr.Rama Rao in connection with the Formula E race scam.

He also criticised Mr. Kishan Reddy for objecting to Mohammad Azharuddin’s induction into the State Cabinet and asked why the Union Minister had a problem with a minority leader being given a ministerial post. Reiterating the Congress government’s commitment to Muslim welfare, he accused the BRS of “cheating Muslims”.