Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said the people had punished BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao in the recent Assembly polls and warned that more public backlash is in store for the former chief minister in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Coming down hard on Rao for allegedly abusing him at a BRS meeting in Nalgonda on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy said, “The people took off Rao's pants in the Assembly polls and they will pull off his shirt in the coming days.”
He was reacting to Rao’s quip of “yem pikataniki poyinavu Medigadda ku (to achieve what are you visiting Medigadda)” at the BRS public meeting.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Revanth Reddy said, “Can a person who worked as CM for 10 years and now holding the position of Leader of Opposition use such derogatory language against the Chief Minister of a state?”
“I invited him to visit the damaged Medigadda barrage on Tuesday. He did not come. I appealed him to attend the Assembly to debate the Medigadda barrage and Kaleshwaram issue. He did not attend. Now, when I visited Medigadda barrage on Tuesday, KCR asks what did I pluck by going to Medigadda,” he said.
Following Revanth Reddy's sharp remarks, BRS members stormed the Well of the House and demanded he take back his words. But Revanth Reddy refused to budge and continued his attack on Rao, following which angry BRS legislators staged a walkout.
Revanth Reddy questioned whether the BRS public meeting in Nalgonda was more important to Rao than discussing the critical issues of irrigation works in the state.
“Is Assembly building nearer to him or Nalgonda? He can go to Nalgonda for his party meeting but can't attend Assembly. KCR is enacting wheelchair drama to gain sympathy of people,” Revanth Reddy said.
Slamming Rao for his suggestion to fill the Medigadda barrage to supply water to farmers, Revanth Reddy said: “With Medigadda barrage suffering severe damage, can water be filled in it now? The National Dam Safety Authority, which inspected the barrage, found that the barrage is in dangerous condition due to sinking of pillars.”
The Chief Minister also dared former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao and senior BRS MLA Kadiam Srihari to take the responsibility of filling the Medigadda barrage and supplying water to farmers.
Accusing Rao of trying to evade accountability over the issue by tapping into public sentiments on water, Revanth Reddy said that the state government would table a White Paper on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme and other irrigation projects in the Assembly session. Once again, he demanded Rao debate the same in the House.
Revanth Reddy said that Rao was “hiding his face and sleeping in the farmhouse” to avoid participating in the debate in the Assembly over fears that “his `1 lakh crore Kaleshwaram scam will come out” if the issue was debated.
