Revanth alleges BJP role in Meenakshi Natarajan nomination row, targets Kishan Reddy

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy blamed the BJP for the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's Rajya Sabha nomination and denied any role of Telangana Congress leaders. He also targeted Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and defended recent government decisions

Hyderabad: In a bid to deflect allegations of an internal rift within the Congress, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy blamed the BJP for engineering the rejection of Telangana Congress affairs in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination. He accused the Returning Officer of acting in the ruling party’s interest.

In a significant development, Revanth Reddy, who was in New Delhi, called on Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday and reportedly explained the circumstances surrounding Meenakshi Natarajan’s case. He is said to have clarified that Telangana Congress leaders had no role whatsoever in the row.

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In an informal interaction with mediapersons later, Revanth Reddy claimed the BJP had moved from “vote theft” to “seat theft” and alleged that the Returning Officer’s handling of Meenakshi Natarajan’s nomination was deliberately faulty. He maintained that election rules required disclosure of criminal cases, but not court notices or summons.

The Chief Minister targeted Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, accusing him of consistently failing Telangana at the Centre and not speaking in the State’s favour. He alleged that Kishan Reddy was obstructing the Regional Ring Road, Hyderabad Metro Rail and other development works at the behest of the BRS. He demanded that Telangana BJP MPs press both the Centre and Maharashtra to release 1,500 acres for the Tummidihatti project. However, he claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had agreed to meet him in July.

On his Adolf Hitler remarks, the Chief Minister denied describing the dictator as a role model and claimed that his comments concerned only the origin of HYDRAA. He went on to blame the media for twisting his remarks, which were telecast live, drawing widespread criticism.

He also defended the denial of permission for Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s proposed Hyderabad meeting, citing law and order concerns. On Cabinet expansion, he said no discussion had taken place with the high command in this regard.