Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that if his government had indulged in vindictive politics, the opposition leaders would have been in jail.
Addressing the Assembly, he said that the opposition leaders would not have sat in their seats and spoken freely if he had indulged in vindictive politics.
“They would have been behind bars in Chanchalguda or Cherlapally jail like I was imprisoned under the BRS rule,” he said.
Revanth Reddy recalled that when he was an MP, he was booked for illegally using drones. “Though the law says that a fine of Rs 500 should be imposed, the then BRS government abused power to send me to Cherlapally jail.”
The Chief Minister said he was kept in the detention cell for 16 days without allowing anybody to meet him. He said the lights were kept on in the cell to deprive him of sleep.
“Though I was an MP, they detained me like a notorious criminal in jail. God punished those leaders who were vengeful against me. God sent them to the hospital,” he said.
Revanth Reddy said that when he was sent to jail earlier, he had come on interim bail to attend his daughter’s wedding. “Was it not a political vendetta against me? However, I did not commit any act of revenge. If I wanted to take revenge, your entire family would have been in Cherlapally jail,” the Chief Minister told BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao.
The Chief Minister said several people were asking him why BRS supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and Rama Rao (KTR) were not sent to jail. He claimed that he maintained restraint as people did not give him the mandate for vindictive politics.
In a strong counter to KTR during the debate on the state Budget, Revanth Reddy said his government waived farm loans to the tune of Rs 26,000 crore within six months. He alleged that the BRS, during its first term, waived farm loans of only Rs 13,000 crore. He said that though the BRS retained power for the second term, it did not complete the loan waiver. It was only after four years that they waived Rs 11,000 crore, but by then, the interest on outstanding loans had jumped to Rs 8,500 crore.
The Chief Minister alleged that the BRS government redesigned irrigation projects for the sake of commissions. He said that KCR acquired the lands of the poor for projects but did not touch the lands of his relatives.
Earlier, KTR accused the Chief Minister of personal hypocrisy and political incompetence. He accused the Chief Minister of dragging his family, including minor children, into political mudslinging.
He portrayed Revanth Reddy as a political liability, asserting: “Wherever Revanth goes, defeat follows.” Citing Revanth Reddy’s campaign efforts in other states’ elections and the recent MLC polls, KTR remarked: “The results are clear to the public. The more days Revanth speaks, the better – after hearing him, no one will vote for Congress for another 20 years.”
KTR further labeled the Chief Minister as “Rifle Reddy”, alleging “Revanth Reddy is the one who aimed a gun at Telangana”, contrasting him with KCR, whom he called “undoubtedly the father of the Telangana nation”.
KTR also accused Revanth Reddy of wiping out veteran Congress leaders to grab power, stating: “He’s holding victory celebrations for failed governance.”
“We don’t care what the Chief Minister thinks or does. He thinks power and position are permanent, but nothing is permanent. He can’t send anyone to jail – only courts can,” he added.
(IANS)
