Revanth calls for more robust presence of Telugus in national politics

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy called for restoring the glory of Telugu leaders in national politics, lamenting that their role had dwindling in the recent past. A revival could only be ensured by collective action. Telugu is the second most spoken language in India after Hindi, he said.

Revanth Reddy was speaking after launching a book ‘Governorpet to Governor's House’, authored by Tamil Nadu former governor P.S. Ram Mohan Rao, who served as DGP in undivided Andhra Pradesh, at MCRHRDI here on Sunday.

Addressing the gathering, Revanth Reddy lamented the lack of greater representation from the Telugu states in the Union Cabinet and said it was not a good sign for the survival and identity of Telugus at the national level.

He recalled the monumental contributions of Telugu ‘biddas’ like then President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, and Telugu Desam founder N.T. Rama Rao, the brain behind the National Front, who shaped national politics, while Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy and Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu played a pivotal role in national politics, albeit to a lesser extent.

Furthermore, he pledged the Congress government's commitment to seek guidance from experienced intellectuals and administrators for effective governance in the state.

Drawing from political history, Revanth Reddy highlighted the tradition of political harmony exemplified by N.T. Rama Rao's decision not to field a party candidate against Narasimha Rao after he became Prime Minister in the 1991 byelection in Nandyal, allowing the latter to be elected MP with a then-record margin of over 5 lakh votes. Revanth Reddy expressed his intent to uphold such good traditions in politics and governance.