Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that BRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao and his party do not have a moral right to talk on defections, after introducing the 'culture' of poaching MLAs from other parties when the BRS was in power. He accused Chandrasekhar Rao of attempting to topple the Congress government in Telangana with the help of the BJP.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Thursday, Revanth Reddy questioned, "Is it, not Chandrashekhar Rao who took 61 MLAs, MLCs, and MPs from other parties when he ruled the state for 10 years from 2014 to 2023?"
He noted that the Congress performed better in the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana compared to the Assembly polls. He said the vote share of the Congress had increased. However, he held the BRS responsible for the BJP winning seats in Telangana as he alleged that the BRS had transferred its 20 per cent vote share to the BJP to defeat the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections.
"How can the BJP get a majority in K.T. Rama Rao's constituency Siricilla? How can the BJP win the Medak Lok Sabha seat, which is considered a BRS bastion? This is clear proof of the BRS-BJP nexus to defeat the Congress," Revanth Reddy asserted.
Revanth Reddy said Chandrashekhar Rao's mindset has not changed even after the BRS' poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where they failed to retain deposits in eight seats and stood in third place in nine seats. "Chandrashekhar Rao and the BRS leaders continue to talk as if people have committed a mistake by not voting for them," he concluded.
"Chandrashekhar Rao said that the Congress government would topple in the state. What should we do for his comments?" he asked. To defeat the Congress, Chandrashekhar Rao transferred 20 per cent of the BRS votes to the BJP to ensure the victory of its candidates during the Lok Sabha elections.
Responding to the resentment expressed by Congress MLC T Jeevan Reddy over welcoming BRS MLC M Sanjay Kumar into the party, Revanth Reddy said the BRS MLA joined the party after being attracted to the implementation of Six Guarantees coupled with the initiative to waive off farmers' loans.
Revanth Reddy admitted that there was some confusion over Jeevan Reddy's issue, and keeping in view the experience of Jeevan Reddy, the party would accord priority to him and give him due respect. “We will ensure that the sentiments of the party leaders and activists will not be hurt at any cost,” he said.
Stating that the law and order situation was being maintained effectively in the State, the Chief Minister said, “We are successfully running the government."
