Hans News Service Hyderabad:

TelanganaPradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud termed senior leader T. Jeevan Reddy’s remarks against the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy inappropriate, and asked him to introspect on how Congress contributed to his political career.

“Who is Jeevan Reddy to ask CM Revanth Reddy to step down? The Chief Minister was elected by all the MLAs. Such criticism is not justified,” Mr. Goud said, adding that people were not taking Mr. Jeevan Reddy’s allegations seriously.

In an informal chat with reporters at Gandhi Bhavan, he said the Congress had issued B-form to Jeevan Reddy on 14 occasions, enabling him to contest elections as the party’s official candidate. “Senior leaders who have taken B-forms 14 times from the Congress should remember their own political journey before criticising the party,” he said.

The TPCC chief alleged that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were not different from each other and they might join hands in the near future. “BRS and BJP are not separate. They may come together tomorrow. No one has benefited under BJP’s leadership,” he said, attributing the BRS’ electoral defeat to the public’s desire for change and growing awareness of alleged corruption during its tenure.

Referring to allegations against Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Mr. Goud challenged critics to produce evidence. “If there is proof, bring it to Gandhi Bhavan and we are ready for a discussion. Making baseless allegations and threatening will not be tolerated,” he said.

He asserted that the alleged irregularities in Nadergul lands took place during the BRS regime and claimed that Mr. Srinivas Reddy himself was ready for an open debate on the issue.

The TPCC president also defended the Congress government’s performance, stating that projects initiated by the present administration were progressing without setbacks. In contrast, he alleged that projects like Kaleshwaram, constructed during the BRS tenure, were facing structural issues within a few years.

Earlier, he participated in the formation day of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and said several senior leaders in the state Congress, including Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Vamsi Chand Reddy, MP Anil Kumar Yadav and SC Cell Chairman Shankar Naik, had risen through the ranks of the student wing.