Debate venue: Congress leaders try to counter-attack KTR

Say the debate should be held in the Assembly and not at any other public venue; degrade Press Club as a venue for debate

Hyderabad: After BRS working president KT Rama Rao exposed the hollowness of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s challenges, with the latter failing to turn up at the Press Club on Tuesday, Congress leaders are trying to counter-attack him, by stating that the debate should be in the Assembly and not at any other ‘public venue’.

The Chief Minister, who repeatedly challenged Rama Rao to a debate on the agriculture sector and the crisis as alleged by the BRS, had not responded when Rama Rao replied that he was ready for a debate and specified the date and venue. He also failed to turn up, or even send a representative when Rama Rao reached the Press Club on Tuesday, after announcing the time and venue well in advance.

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Congress leaders, who kept away from the Press Club, later in the day began attacking Rama Rao, some even going to the level of degrading the Press Club as a venue for the debate and instead said they were ready for a debate in the Assembly. Rama Rao had said he was ready for the Assembly debate, provided the Congress gave the BRS the opportunity to speak, without switching off mics or preventing BRS leaders from speaking, as had happened in recent Assembly sessions.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka alleged that BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao was “dodging” the Chief Minister’s challenge and sending others. “If the BRS really wants to respond to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s challenge, they should come to Assembly and not to Press Club,” Bhatti Vikramarka said at Mahabubabad, adding that the Congress government was ready for a discussion in the Assembly on River Krishna and Godavari water sharing issue.

Seethakka abuses KTR

On the other hand, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister D Anasuya appeared to be following Revanth Reddy’s style of vitriolic abuse, even threatening that Rama Rao would be “destroyed” if he locked horns with her.

Addressing media persons at Mulugu, the Minister accused the BRS working president of conducting false campaign against her. She even went to the extent of citing an accident from which Rama Rao had narrowly escaped during the Assembly election campaign, stating that it had happened because the BRS was attacking her.