Uttam: Rahul Gandhi will be the next PM

Speaking at a "Meet the Press" programme organised by the Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) at Basheerbagh Press Club on Friday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the indications coming from three phases of Lok Sabha elections and signals from the remaining constituencies clearly indicated an I.N.D.I.A. coalition victory. He predicted that the Congress would win 14-15 Lok Sabha seats and achieve a significant majority in Nalgonda.

Uttam Kumar Reddy strongly condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constant criticism of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and emphasised that their sacrifices for India should be respected. He remarked that after the
death of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, the Nehru-Gandhi family did not hold any official position.
“The BJP has a habit of demolishing elected governments in an undemocratic manner," the minister said and added that it would would not succeed in Telangana state. He compared the state government to a strong cricket team: "Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, and other cabinet members form a robust 11-member cricket team. We are running a stable government and will complete our full term without any hurdles.”

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Modi government had undermined the parliamentary system, suspending MPs without proper cause and passing important bills without debate. He remarked that Prime Narendra Modi had transformed India into a "banana republic." He also expressed the fear that parliamentary democracy would be at risk if the BJP retained power.
He noted that none of Modi's promises, including the provision of minimum support price (MSP) for crops and housing for all by 2022, had been fully implemented. He criticised the Modi government for selling public sector enterprises to private companies and attempting to divide the country along communal lines.

Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that the BJP had no moral right to ask for votes in Telangana state due to the unfulfilled promises in the AP Pradesh Reorganization Act, including a railway coach factory in Kazipet, a steel plant in Bayyaram, and a tribal university. He added that the cancellation of the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) from Hyderabad further underscored the BJP's neglect of the state.

He said the BRS would fail to win a single seat and would cease to exist after the Lok Sabha elections. "BRS will soon take VRS," he said. Criticised former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for destroying Telangana's irrigation and power sectors and urged him to apologise to the public for the Kaleswaram issue.

He said that Rao had renamed and redesigned the Pranahita Chevella project into the Kaleshwaram scheme and wasted public funds.

"We don't need your free advice, KCR. We will proceed according to expert recommendations regarding the damages to Medigadda and other barrages," the minister said.

The government would follow the recommendations of the interim report from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). He noted that the final report was expected within 10-15 days.

Additionally, the interim report from the vigilance inquiry had been received but the final report was delayed due to the sudden death of Rajeev Ratan, the Director General of Vigilance and Enforcement. The judicial commission was looking into Kaleswaram issue and the government would take action based on its report, he said.