Government Missteps Costing State: Kishan

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy criticised the Congress government for its alleged mismanagement of the state's economy and accused the Revanth Reddy government of diverting funds meant for liquor procurement. He claimed this mismanagement had led to liquor companies issuing ultimatums to halt supply due to pending payments for beer and brandy.

In an informal interaction with media persons, and speaking on several issues, Kishan Reddy said the BJP was the natural contender in the upcoming local body elections, as the Centre has been funding most rural development works for 11 years. The BRS and Congress governments have not contributed a single rupee, he alleged.

Asked about rumours of film actor Chiranjeevi joining the BJP, after being seen at several party functions, Reddy dismissed them with a laugh. He noted that Chiranjeevi is widely respected as a prominent figure in Telugu cinema and said many Tollywood personalities had been associated with or sympathised with the BJP in various capacities.

On whether the next Telangana BJP president would have an RSS background or be from among the three MPs in the state, Kishan Reddy said that the party had no strict criteria. "Etala Rajender (Malkajgiri MP) or even an MLA could be the next state president.”

Asked about his own prospects for the top position in the party, given the BJP's focus on southern states, Reddy responded diplomatically. Noting that he was a Union minister and previously president of the BJP's Yuva Morcha, Kishan Reddy said: "The party will decide on leadership matters."

Responding to BRS leaders’ criticism that the BJP's national leadership selects state presidents in a "sealed cover," Reddy retorted that anyone could predict the next president of the BRS since it is a "pure family party." He highlighted the BJP's focus on organisational elections, or Sanghatan Parv, and noted that 650 mandal-level committees in Telangana had been formed, with over 50 per cent of members from backward classes and 33 per cent of women.

Kishan Reddy also assured central funding for the second phase of the Airport Metro, stating that Rs.1,250 crore had been allocated for the first phase. On the Regional Ring Road (RRR), he clarified that the alignment is yet to be finalised.

He criticised a section of the media for “underreporting Central government initiatives for Telangana, such as the Kakatiya Textile Park, Turmeric Board, Kazipet Coach Factory and Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City, while overhyping state government announcements like the Metro extension to Medchal.”