Ministers Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar criticize Bandi Sanjay for calling BJP’s MLC win a "Ramzan gift," alleging BJP-BRS secret ties
Hyderabad: Ministers D. Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar on Thursday lashed out at Union minister of state Bandi Sanjay Kumar for his remark comparing the BJP’s victory in the graduate Legislative Council election to a "Ramzan gift to the Congress."
Addressing separate press conferences at Gandhi Bhavan, the ministers were reacting to Sanjay's post on X: "Hope the Congress enjoys the Ramzan gift… Pandaga cheskondi (celebrate the festival)," shortly after BJP candidate C. Anji Reddy defeated his Congress rival Narender Reddy in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-
Sridhar Babu said the Congress had given "many gifts" to the BJP in the past. He questioned whether the BJP and the BRS had collaborated to present the "Ramzan gift", and warned of an impending "political gift" from the Congress.
Alleging that the "secret dealings" between the BJP and the BRS were now evident, Sridhar Babu said, "Despite the loss, the Congress respects the voters' verdict and appreciates the support received for Narender Reddy."
Highlighting the BRS not putting up a candidate, and questioning its motives, Sridhar Babu pointed out that senior BRS leader Ravinder Singh who contested independently had admitted to having full BRS support, which ultimately benefited the BJP.
Minister Ponnam Prabhakar stated that winning and losing were part of elections and condemned Sanjay’s "Ramzan gift" remark as politically insensitive. He challenged BJP leaders to secure Central funds and development projects for Telangana, including constructing an eight-lane highway from Ramagundam to Hyderabad, instead of making insensitive remarks. He accused the BJP and the BRS of secretly allying to defeat the Congress candidate.
Prabhakar pointed out that in key BRS strongholds, including those represented by former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, K.T. Rama Rao and Harish Rao, the party deliberately avoided contesting the MLC elections to favour the BJP. “The people are aware of these political manoeuvres,” Prabhakar said.
He criticised state BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy for failing to contribute to Hyderabad’s development despite representing the capital in the Lok Sabha. He accused the BJP of historically neglecting Telangana’s interests and projects. Prabhakar said the BJP’s victory margin was less than the number of invalid votes. He said that the Congress would analyse the defeat but it not would have any long-term impact.
Nagarkurnool MP Mallu Ravi also claimed that BJP’s victories of a secret alliance with the BRS. He stated that Congress' vote bank remained unaffected. He accused the BRS of engaging in large-scale corruption over the past decade, leading to multiple cases against Rao’s family, and alleged that as part of a "quid pro quo" arrangement, the BRS and the BJP were working for mutual benefit.
Ravi said that despite having 22 MLAs in the region, the BRS refrained from contesting the MLC election to ensure the BJP’s success. He maintained that the BJP’s win would not impact future elections.
