Revanth Reddy and KTR lock horns over budget and legacy

In a fiery session at the Telangana Assembly, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) engaged in a heated verbal duel, exchanging sharp barbs over the union budget and their political lineages.

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© fraboof, CC BY-SA 2.0

The sparks flew as Revanth Reddy criticized the Centre’s alleged discrimination against Telangana in the budget, questioning the absence of BRS president and former CM K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) during the crucial discussion.

KTR shot back, suggesting that the CM himself had risen to power through questionable means, a claim that ignited a war of words between the two leaders.

Revanth Reddy, in a bid to highlight the Congress’s commitment to Telangana’s development, stated, “We can’t enter politics by using our father’s and grandfather’s names. We rose to politics from the lower level after working hard.” This remark was seen as a direct attack on KTR, whose political career is often linked to his father, KCR.

In return, KTR accused Revanth Reddy of being a “payment quota seat” CM, hinting at alleged backroom deals. The CM retaliated by accusing the BRS of making “dark deals” in New Delhi, which he claimed had led to the Centre’s neglect of Telangana in the Union Budget.

The exchange grew more heated when Revanth Reddy challenged KCR to join him in a fast-unto-death protest in Delhi to demand Central funds for the state. KTR responded by mocking the CM’s “bade bhai, chhote bhai” (big brother, small brother) conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, implying that it had yielded no benefits for Telangana.