Revanth targets Naidu after breakfast meet with rivals fuels political buzz

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s participation in a breakfast meeting with BJP and TDP leaders in New Delhi has triggered controversy in his state. The informal gathering, hosted by Union Minister Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, came just after the failure of the delimitation-linked Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has made an abortive attempt to deflect criticism over his decision to attend a breakfast meeting hosted by an NDA Minister where Telugu Desam Party leaders were seen along with BJP MPs. 

As his breakfast meeting led to a controversy in Telangana, Revanth Reddy appeared to have sought to deflect the controversy by criticising Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for supporting the controversial delimitation bill.

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The Chief Minister had earlier attended the breakfast meeting hosted by Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma in New Delhi on Saturday.

The meeting took place a day after the Constitution Amendment Bill linked to delimitation failed in the Lok Sabha. The gathering saw the presence of several MPs from the BJP and Telugu Desam Party. 

Some of the attendees included Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, BJP Rajya Sabha MP K. Laxman and Lok Sabha MP CM Ramesh.

As his meeting with TDP and BJP ministers and MPs sparked speculation in Telangana, Srinivasa Varma sought to play it down saying the meeting was an informal one without any political agenda. In fact, Revanth Reddy’s interaction with Telugu Desam Party leaders became a point of discussion among politicians across parties. 

Revanth Reddy was a bit cautious and had even requested some photographers not to shoot any pictures. However, soon photos of Revanth Reddy smiling along with his “supposed political rivals” in the BJP and TDP were posted on social media.

Even as this meeting continued to raise eyebrows, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was reported to have criticised the Congress and its allies for opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill.

When his reaction was sought on Naidu’s criticism during a press conference in Delhi, Revanth Reddy maintained that he was not aware of Naidu’s remarks. “He is intelligent and experienced and I don’t think he will say anything wrong,” Revanth Reddy observed. 

Later in an informal chat with newsmen, he also suggested that parties aligned with the BJP had faced difficulties. “Chandrababu Naidu could face a fate similar to former Chief Ministers like Nitish Kumar and Eknath Shinde,” Revanth Reddy maintained.

In an informal interaction with the media in New Delhi, he said at present the BJP lacks full strength in the Parliament and hence Telugu Desam was being pampered by the BJP. 

“TDP could be sidelined if the BJP grows stronger in Parliament,” the Chief Minister added.