Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday criticised opposition BRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao for attending assembly sessions only twice in the past 15 months and challenged him to a debate on the loss suffered by the state in utilising Krishna waters.
In a marathon reply to the motion of thanks to the Governor's address to the legislature, he said since December 2023, when the Congress government assumed office, Mr Rao had drawn a salary of over Rs 57 lakh as an MLA and opposition leader.
"The opposition leader, who takes a government salary, has left the people to their fate," he said.
Revanth Reddy also criticised the BRS for objecting to his frequent visits to Delhi and stated that he believes in maintaining cordial relations between the Centre and the states, as envisaged in the Constitution.
"The Centre is a union of states, and the country's Prime Minister is indeed like an elder brother to any Chief Minister," he said.
Mr Reddy stated that his visits to Delhi are aimed at addressing people's issues with the Centre. He also appreciated Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for agreeing to transfer defence lands in Hyderabad to the state government.
BRS leader KT Rama Rao recently criticised Revanth Reddy for his earlier remarks referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "bade bhai" (elder brother).
The Chief Minister also said that he had submitted a letter to Prime Minister Modi, requesting steps to be taken for Hyderabad to host the 2036 Olympics.
Referring to the recent arrest of two female online journalists for allegedly circulating a video on social media with "derogatory and abusive" content against the Congress government and Revanth Reddy, he warned that stringent action would be taken, as per the law, against those engaging in "defamatory propaganda under the guise of journalism." He said that leaders of journalists' unions should define a journalist and a list of (mainstream) journalists.
The unions should determine the punishment for those on the list if they commit such offences.
Anyone not on the list is not a journalist, and those who are not journalists will be treated as criminals if they engage in defamatory propaganda, he added.
"We will respond to such criminals as required. If they hide behind a façade, that veil will be removed, and they will be exposed. Don't create a spectacle. I am also a human being... We will act strictly according to the law and will not exceed any limits," Mr Reddy said.
The BRS is upset when police cases are filed against "paid artistes" who posted abusive videos recorded in their party office, he said.
The language used in these social media posts and videos makes his blood boil, as they target family members, Mr Reddy said.
"I am asking the one who condemned the arrest whether they would tolerate such comments if they were made about their sister, mother, or wife," he added.
Noting that constructive criticism is welcome, Mr Reddy wondered what kind of culture encourages "making derogatory comments about female family members." "Chandrasekhar Rao should restrain his children," he said, adding, "It is unacceptable if Rao believes he can gain political advantage by psychologically hurting his opponents.
Taking a jibe at KCR, Reddy claimed that the former Chief Minister secured protection for himself due to threats from his own family, which has led him to keep his distance from them.
Mr Reddy also alleged that Telangana suffered lasting 'injustice' in utilising Krishna river waters due to the BRS regime's neglect and challenged KCR to a debate on the issue.
Accusing KCR and his son KT Rama Rao of "dancing with joy" over tragedies such as the deaths of students in social welfare hostels, Reddy alleged that BRS leaders were "competing with Idi Amin (former Uganda president) in deriving sadistic pleasure." Referring to his earlier remark that people had sent BRS to the "mortuary" after its wipeout in the Lok Sabha polls, he said the party's leaders were misinterpreting it as a personal comment about KCR.
Warning of strict action against the drug menace, he questioned whose friend had "died in Dubai recently after taking drugs" and vowed to reveal information on the Dubai connections.
The Chief Minister stated that since the Congress government assumed office 15 months ago, it had taken loans amounting to Rs 1,58,01 crore. Of this, Rs 1,53,359 crore (principal and interest) was used to repay debts incurred by the KCR government.
Meanwhile, BRS members boycotted the Chief Minister's speech.
BRS leader Vemula Prashant Reddy alleged that Reddy made "derogatory remarks" against KCR.
He further claimed that the Chief Minister "failed to provide clarity" on the implementation of Congress's election promises.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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