Accusing the BJP of resorting to vendetta politics against Southern states over delimitation, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy today demanded that Union ministers from Telangana, particularly G Kishan Reddy, voice their objections in the Union Cabinet. Reddy’s statement came after a DMK delegation led by Tamil Nadu minister TK Nehru met Revanth Reddy in Delhi to extend a formal invitation from Chief Minister Stalin to attend the meeting on delimitation on 22 March at Chennai.

He said his government would also organise a similar all-party meeting at Hyderabad at the state level and invite BJP’s state president and Union minister G Kishan Reddy.

Advertisement

Reddy accused the BJP of “conspiring” against Southern states in the name of delimitation.

“We are paying more tax than North India. We have more entrepreneurs. We are contributing more to the nation. But the BJP wants to settle the score against South India. This is because South India has never allowed BJP to grow in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and even in Karnataka, they have been defeated…This is called vendetta politics. We are not going to allow the Government of India, BJP or NDA. They are conspiring against the South.” He said the Congress, on principle, has agreed to attend this meeting, but he will first seek permission from the High Command to attend the meeting in Chennai on 22 March.

The Chief Minister also used the issue to launch a broadside against the BJP state president and Union Minister for Mines, G Kishan Reddy. He said, “I am going to invite B JP leaders in Telangana because they have to take responsibility to protect our rights. So I have told my deputy chief minister (Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu) and K Jana Reddy Garu to invite Kishan Reddy as Telangana’s BJP president to attend this meeting. He has to raise his voice in the Cabinet. Why? Because this is going to affect our fundamental rights. So, this delimitation is going to limit our opportunities. We are not ready to accept that, and Kishan Reddy has to react to this. He represents the Union Cabinet from Telangana. He has to answer and fight.”

Recently, the Chief Minister had attacked G Kishan Reddy for stalling Telangana’s development projects, particularly the Metro Rail Phase II. Last week, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu had convened a meeting to discuss projects pending with the Centre and invited G Kishan Reddy and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, but both skipped the meeting. Kishan Reddy, in his letter to Bhatti Vikramarka, had cited prior commitments to turn down the invitation.