Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday sharpened the Congress campaign narrative with a new slogan—”Aur ek baar Congress sarkar” — coupled with a pledge to deny the Bharat Rashtra Samithi even the status of opposition in the next assembly elections.Addressing a public meeting in Nasturpally village of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, following the release of Rythu Bharosa funds, Revanth asserted that the Congress would return to power and secure 15 Lok Sabha seats in 2029 to help make Rahul Gandhi PM. He declared that the BRS would not even be in a position to claim opposition status, adding that the Congress would return with the highest majority in the country.The CM reserved particularly sharp criticism for former Jagtial MLA T Jeevan Reddy, who joined the BRS earlier in the day in the presence of party president K Chandrasekhar Rao. Characterising him as a ‘pedda manishi’, Revanth accused him of a political career defined by betrayal and opportunism. He remarked that Jeevan Reddy had called for the end of Congress rule while promoting the idea of ‘papala bhairavudu’, an apparent reference to KCR, even as the Congress had ensured that the BRS lost every election since 2023.With the new slogan and a combative tone, Revanth signalled that the Congress campaign in Telangana would centre on both welfare delivery and a direct political confrontation with the BRS leadership.Directing his criticism at KCR, the CM questioned the rationale behind the BRS seeking a return to power. He alleged that KCR had prioritised the construction of farmhouses for his family while failing to provide double-bedroom housing for the poor. He further questioned whether the party sought power merely to secure positions for K T Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, and KCR’s daughter, urging Congress workers to decisively defeat the BRS.Revanth also dwelt on Jeevan Reddy’s political trajectory, noting that he was first elected in 1983 under former CM N T Rama Rao, only to defect within a month to join Nadendla Bhaskar Rao. He later moved to the Congress, where he was repeatedly given electoral opportunities and held several positions. Revanth criticised what he described as ingratitude, pointing out that the Congress had issued him the B-form on 14 occasions and facilitated political advancement for his family, yet he now speaks against the party.Contrasting the governance records of the Congress and the BRS, Revanth highlighted a range of welfare measures, including free bus travel for women, loan waivers, subsidies on electricity bills, and interest-free loans. He argued that there was no justification for ending Congress rule when approximately 3.5 crore people were benefiting from these initiatives.He recalled how D Srinivas and Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had twice successfully led the party back to power. Drawing a parallel, Revanth stated that, in tandem with TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud, he would replicate that achievement and secure another mandate for the Congress.
