BRS in Conflict: Malkajgiri MLA Vows to Defeat Harish Rao After Son Denied Ticket

TIRUPATi: Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumantha Rao, unhappy over the BRS denying his son Rohit the Medak constituency ticket, lashed out at minister T. Harish Rao in the public domain, warning him against meddling in the political dynamics of the Medak constituency.

In a statement following his visit to the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala on Monday, Hanumantha Rao vowed to teach Harish Rao a memorable lesson. “Harish Rao arrived wearing rubber chappals and carrying a suitcase. Now look where he is, he has forgotten his humble beginnings. I will definitely teach a lesson to him and I will make sure he will have no address in Siddipet. I will not rest until Harish Rao is defeated,” he said.

Hanumantha Rao also laid out his conditional plan to contest on a BRS ticket, stating that he would vie for a BRS ticket only if he and his son were allotted the Malkajgiri and Medak tickets, respectively. He emphasised his aspiration to secure the Medak MLA position for his son, saying, “Presently, I’m busy with the responsibilities pertaining to Malkajgiri and Medak constituencies. My primary focus will be on Malkajgiri, while my son will take up the mantle in Medak.”

Mynampally’s verbal assault on Harish Rao laid bare the groupism and internal conflicts within the BRS. While Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao confirmed Hanumantha Rao’s candidacy from the Malkajgiri constituency, the refusal to grant a ticket to Mynampally Rohit created a fracture in the political equation between Hanumantha Rao and BRS.

Accusing Harish Rao of impeding development in the Medak region, Hanumantha Rao questioned, “What is Harish Rao’s work in Medak? Why is only Siddipet developed, but not the rest of Medak district?”

He vowed to stay true to his words and declared, “Mynampally Hanumantha Rao will stand on his word and will not sleep until I bring down Harish Rao. This is the promise I keep.”

Responding to dissent within his party ranks, Chandrasekhar Rao issued a warning that those opposing the party’s decisions would be sidelined. During the announcement of the party's candidate list for the upcoming elections, he underscored that anti-party activities would not be tolerated. When asked about Hanumantha Rao's threat to contest as an independent candidate, Rao remarked, “If he abides by the party, it’s okay. If he is not going to abide, that is his choice.”

Minister K.T. Rama Rao also weighed in on the matter, condemning Hanumantha Rao's behaviour in a social media post. He posted on the platform X: “One of our MLAs who was denied a ticket to his family member in an outburst has made some derogatory comments on Minister Harish Rao. I not only strongly condemn the MLA’s behaviour but also want to make it clear that we all stand with Harish Rao. He has been an integral founding member of the BRS since its inception and will continue to remain an important pillar of the party as we move forward.”

Hanumantha Rao's remarks also triggered widespread protests across the former Medak district, with BRS leaders and Harish Rao’s supporters burning effigies of the Malkajgiri MLA and staging a symbolic funeral in Siddipet.

BRS district president Chintha Prabhakar also criticised Hanumantha Rao, alleging that he was the one who deceived the people.

BRS councillors S. Nagaraju Reddy, K. Praveen Kumar, and S. Sundar led demonstrations in Ganesh Nagar, burning an effigy of Mynampally. They dared him to accept the consequences of his actions in Siddipet and questioned his achievements for Medak during his tenure as a legislator.