Maheshwar Reddy stated that BJP MLAs had no history of defections and remained loyal to the party ideology. He claimed that Venkat Reddy and met BJP leaders Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari to defect to the BJP. "Due to your suspicious nature, we did not trust you or encourage you," he stated at a press conference. He claimed that besides Venkat Reddy, five other ministers in the Revanth Reddy government were in touch with the BJP.
Responding to this, Venkat Reddy said that Maheshwar Reddy was levelling baseless allegations against him.
Venkat Reddy claimed that during a conversation in the Assembly lobbies, Maheshwar Reddy had expressed a desire to rejoin the Congress if given a place in the Cabinet. However, Venkat Reddy told him that the party, enjoying a full majority, was not considering including defectors as ministers.
On the allegation that he met with Amit Shah and Gadkari, Venkat Reddy offered to swear under oath at the Bhagyalakshmi temple to deny the claims. He challenged Maheshwar Reddy to join him.
Venkat Reddy pointed out Maheshwar Reddy's track record of switching parties every five years, having moved from the Praja Rajyam to the Congress and then the BJP.
