Hyderabad: MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi’s alleged belittling of a first-time Dalit MLA from Congress led to a war of words between him and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who dubbed the MIM as a perpetual friend of the party in power.
It all began with Congress’ Manakonduru legislator K. Satyanarayana, referring to Owaisi’s demand that the government should erect 500 electricity poles in the Old City, asked how the MIM had failed to get such a small work done in last 10 years despite cozying up to the BRS government.
“Kids should not interfere in elders’ conversations,” Owaisi shot back.
Revanth Reddy intervened and suggested that first-timers would look up to seniors like Owaisi to learn legislative practices and the MIM leader should realise that the more humble he was the more respect he would command.
Revanth Reddy said that belittling a first-time MLA who hailed from a Dalit would only lower Owaisi’s image.
Revanth Reddy turned the tables on the MIM leader and said he should own responsibility along with former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and former finance minister T. Harish Rao over collecting arrears in power bills from their respective areas — Siddipet, Gajwel and Hyderabad South topped the list of defaulters.
When Owaisi asked if the Chief Minister was trying to project that power pilferage was high in the Old City. Revanth Reddy latter clarified that he was talking about arrears from customers. He wondered why Owaisi had been batting for the BRS, and went on to say that the party was in cahoots with the BJP and picked seats to contest based on mutual understanding with the two parties.
As the discussion turned into denial of opportunity for the Muslim community, Revanth Reddy asked, “Did Owaisi win only with the votes of Muslims? Did Hindus not vote for him? The development of the Old City is our responsibility. The AIMIM is in alliance with the party which denied Shabbir Ali his seat in Kamareddy as KCR contested from there, though he could have chosen Sircilla or Siddipet if he wanted a second seat. The AIMIM by fielding its candidate led to the defeat of Mohammad Azharuddin from Jubilee Hills. The AIMIM does not have a patent on Muslim issues,” Revanth Reddy reiterated.
Calling former power minister G. Jagadish Reddy claims that there were no protests for power during the BRS regime, Revanth Reddy went on to read news reports of farmer protests.
The discussion then veered towards the alliances that the MIM had struck over the years with Nadendla Bhaskar Rao in unseating N.T. Rama Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Kiran Kumar Reddy and Chandrashekar Rao.
