Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has stirred a major political controversy by referring to his predecessor, K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), as an “alcoholic” and questioning how a “liquor addict” could be called the father of Telangana. Speaking at a public event in Station Ghanpur, Reddy lashed out at the former chief minister and his party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), accusing them of looting the state and leaving it in financial ruin. His comments were in response to BRS leader Harish Rao’s recent statement in the Assembly, where he called KCR the “father of Telangana” and demanded an apology from Reddy for his remarks against the former CM. Reddy, however, rejected this notion, asserting that true icons of Telangana’s struggle, like freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji and social activist Kothapalli Jayashankar, were the real fathers of the state. The statement has further fueled tensions between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS, escalating political rhetoric in the state.
Amid the ongoing war of words, Reddy also accused the previous BRS government of pushing Telangana into economic distress, claiming that it had inherited a revenue-surplus state but left behind a debt burden of ₹8.29 lakh crore over a decade. He alleged that the government now has to pay ₹1.52 lakh crore in interest and outstanding amounts, which could have been used for crucial welfare measures like housing and farm loan waivers. Reddy also hinted at further revelations in the Assembly about alleged misdeeds under KCR’s rule, stating that this was merely the “intermission” and that the full list of corruption cases would be disclosed soon. Meanwhile, the BRS has continued to criticize the Congress government, claiming that despite its grand promises, the new administration has failed to deliver tangible development.
Defending his government’s record, Reddy highlighted several initiatives that his administration has implemented since assuming office in December 2023. He stated that over 150 crore women have benefited from the free bus travel scheme, for which the government has spent ₹5,005 crore. Additionally, he pointed out that 200 units of free electricity are being provided to 50 lakh families and that farm loans worth ₹20,610 crore have been waived. He also noted that nearly 58,000 government jobs have been filled under his leadership. Despite these achievements, he lamented that the opposition was continuously criticizing the government instead of acknowledging its efforts to improve Telangana’s economic and social conditions. With tensions between Congress and BRS continuing to rise, the upcoming Assembly sessions are expected to see heated debates, with both sides trading accusations over governance and financial mismanagement.
