Like any medicine, PM Modi has reached expiry date & he knows it: Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy

TPCC president and chief minister A Revanth Reddy tells Robin David and Roushan Ali in an exclusive interview that the upcoming Parliament elections would be a referendum on the Congress party’s governance in Telangana. With a slender majority of four MLAs in the assembly, he has opened the gates of the Congress for leaders from other parties. When BRS and BJP are trying to topple his govt, it is his responsibility to not only protect the govt but also to strengthen it, he says
Is the Lok Sabha election a bigger fight for the Congress than the assembly polls? Is it a bigger challenge for you personally?
Definitely.The electoral contest against a regional party on regional issues is one aspect and an electoral battle with national parties in a Lok Sabha election is a different contest.
There was resentment against the then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s government which you (Congress) exploited. How different is the May 13 election going to be?
There is no difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and KCR. Both made empty promises and ensured they were heard through the media. While Modi campaigned in Hindi at the national level, KCR did the same in Telugu in Telangana. Both did not implement many promises made in election manifestos of 2014 and 2019. There should be a discussion on it. Modi and KCR got two terms but what did they do? People realised this and defeated KCR. Every medicine has an expiry date.
Do you mean to say PM Narendra Modi has reached that expiry date?
Definitely. And Modi knows it. That is the reason for him changing his natural political approach. He is stitching up alliances with every party. If the BJP is confident of winning 400 seats, why is he stitching up al-Nitish Kumar, N Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan and many others? Modi is taking the help of other parties as he is not confident of getting a sufficient number of MPs to form the govt.
Who is the biggest challenge in Telangana, is it the BJP or BRS?
National parties and national issues will be at the forefront of discussion in Parliament elections. But there is no difference between BRS and BJP in Telangana. People of Telangana also know it. They are two sides of the same coin. Modi said they will double the income of farmers, deposit Rs 15 lakh into bank accounts of the poor, promised to give two crore jobs every year, housing to all and MSP to farmers but did not implement any of these. People of Telangana keenly observe everything and give their verdict.
But you called Modi ‘bade bhai’?
Yes, I said it openly in a public meeting and did not whisper it in his ear. He is the Prime Minister of the country and whoever sits in that top seat, must play the role of giving a level playing field to all states.
Do you think Modi is playing the big brother’s role?
I am hoping he will play the role. The Congress govt in Telangana has just completed 100 days in office. For now, I don’t have any issues with the Centre. BJP versus Congress on the electoral front is a different story. When I function as chief minister, my focus is on administration, state and welfare of the people. When I put on the TPCC chief’s hat, I take the party line. Government and political parties are different.
I know the difference. But KCR and Modi think “sarkar, party aur Parivar” (govt, party and family) is one unit. I don’t think like that and do not practice it. For me, sarkar, party and parivar are different units. If there is a confrontation between the CM and PM, people suffer. Who has given the right to either CM or a PM to thrust suffering on the people? Our egos and personal approach should not cause hardship to the people.
You are hinting at former KCR and his style of functioning.
Yes, because of KCR we lost so many things, including irrigation project funding, rural health mission funds, financial supportfor housing schemes and other developmental projects. Whatever I got from the Centre, including defence land for skyways, is because of maintaining cordial relations with the Centre.
Why did you open the gates of the Congress for leaders of other parties?
Two weeks earlier, you had said not now.
I did not open the gates for 100 days after coming to power. But we realised that both BRS and BJP were talking about the same agenda — toppling the new Congress govt. It is the people of Telangana who voted us to power. If they try to topple my govt, I have every right to protect the mandate given by the people. Neither the BRS nor BJP have the numbers to form a govt in Telangana. They were trying to engineer defections. If they try to topple the govt, I will protect it.
How many MLAs are you expecting to join the Congress? The talk is 30 legislators.
You will see. I cannot quote any number. I have not made the rules of this game. They started it. I was trying to set good political standards by focusing on development as chief minister. I gave room to so many opposition MLAs to come and meet me and discuss issues of their constituencies.
I never encouraged them to defect in the 100 days of Congress govt.The opposition members were given more time than the ruling party in the assembly to speak and discuss issues. No opposition MLA was expelled. I tried to frame good rules of the game but KCR, KTR and BJP MP K Laxman were repeatedly saying the Congress govt will collapse. I did not show any partiality in taking decisions also. But what is this coordination between them?
Have the Congress’ old guard — the senior leaders — accepted your leadership?
That is how I became the TPCC chief and CM. Without their support this would not have been possible. In politics, there is a level playing field to some extent. The old guard is made of seniors, and they are experienced than I am. There is nothing wrong with them having expectations.
What is your target in the Lok Sabha elections?
At least 12 Parliament seats for sure.
Most leaders joining the Congress are from BRS. If BRS is weakened, the BJP will get space and become stronger.
Leader, voter and elected representatives are three different aspects. We are takingin Congress elected representatives from other parties as the BRS and BJP are talking about toppling our govt, which is possible by taking our legislators. In other states, the BJP has already toppled opposition govts. Being the captain, it is my responsibility to protect my govt by taking elected representatives to protect my team and making the govt stronger.
How will Congress plan to combat emotional issues like Ram temple, CAA?
BJP did not discover Ram temple in Ayodhya. It was there. BJP is a political party. Ram temple is the belief and faith of everyone. A Ram temple existed and exists in every village, even before the BJP was formed. We have one of the famous Sitaramachandra Swamy temples in Bhadrachalam. Just like Ram temples were constructed in every village, one was constructed in Ayodhya too.
Your comments on the possible impact of Ayodhya Ram temple in Telangana.
We are not expecting votes on emotional issues or divisive politics. Yes, there will be discussions about Ram temple, but in Telangana, the Congress has given 100 days of good governance. We have started implementing our promises. We are expecting a positive vote for us in Telangana. I have said clearly that the ensuing Parliament elections are a referendum to Congress governance in Telangana so far.
Do you expect AIMIM to support the Congress during crunch time?
Will your newfound friendship survive tough situations?
AIMIM cannot support the BJP. So, they have two options, either to support the Congress govt in Telangana or to not support it. When the situation arises, we will know whether they will support us or not. On my part, I am expecting they will support us. In fact, everyone who is anti-Modi or anti-KCR, should support us.
There is a talk that the Congress and AIMIM relationship may extend beyond Telangana.
The All India Congress Committee leadership must decide on this. I am trying to build a consensus with everyone at the state-level.
Do you see Telangana turning into a BJP versus Congress in future?
I don’t think so. They had won a good number of Lok Sabha seats once in the undivided state, but could not become a force to reckon with. I don’t think the BJP can become an alternative force (in Telangana) in the near future.
Is there a possibility of one of the Nehru-Gandhi family members contesting from Telangana?
We requested one of them to contest from Telangana. It is up to them to decide.