"Respect bartered away by sitting in Revanth Reddy's lap": KTR slams Congress over MLA defection

Yadadri Bhuvanagiri (Telangana) [India], December 18 (ANI): The Working President of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), KT Rama Rao, launched a blistering attack against the Congress government over defections of MLAs, stating that Telangana is witnessing one of the most shameless chapters of political degeneration, a party press release said.
Addressing a felicitation meeting of newly elected Sarpanches, Deputy Sarpanches and Ward Members at the district party office, KTR asserted that people are fast realising the reality of Congress rule and are responding with decisive support for BRS.
KTR said the Congress government has normalised defections as a tool of survival, destroying democratic values. Leaders who once claimed ideological commitment are now justifying their defection in the name of "development," he said.
Taking a swipe at defected MLAs, including senior leaders like Kadiyam Srihari, KTR remarked that they are today unable to even clearly state which party they belong to on the Assembly floor. "At the age of 70, years of hard-earned respect have been bartered away by sitting in Revanth Reddy's lap," he said, adding that the Speaker was acting in tandem with the Chief Minister by conveniently ignoring these defections.
Targeting Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, KTR said the state is being ruled by exaggerated rhetoric and hollow promises. "Despite standing barely three feet tall, the Chief Minister makes 30-feet tall claims," he remarked, stating that people on the ground have realised they were misled. Congress, he said, came to power with luring promises of gold schemes and increased pensions, but has failed to deliver even basic support to farmers, with Rythu Bandhu remaining stalled.
The public sentiment, he noted, is one of regret, "as if people abandoned a milk-giving cow and brought home a kicking bull."
According to the release, KTR accused Congress of turning governance into vindictive and violent politics. He condemned repeated attacks on BRS workers in the erstwhile Nalgonda district, including the brutal murder of Mallaiah Yadav in Nuthankal mandal and the inhuman assault on a BRS candidate in Nalgonda. Such incidents, he said, reflect the dangerous mindset encouraged under the present regime. He also alleged that officials were misused to overturn BRS victories through dubious recounting practices in over 150 villages and warned that the party would pursue justice through the courts.
Despite Congress's intimidation and misuse of power, KTR said the people delivered a clear verdict in the Panchayat elections. BRS secured 161 Sarpanch seats across Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district - 56 in Bhuvanagiri, 74 in Aler, 15 in Munugode, 9 in Tungaturthi and 7 in Nakirekal. This mandate, he said, has infused renewed confidence among party cadres across Telangana and marked the beginning of BRS's return to its former glory.
KTR said it is fitting that the revival has begun from the very region where the party earlier faced a narrow setback. With the blessings of Yadadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, he said, BRS is poised for sweeping victories ahead, and the pink flag will once again dominate Telangana's political landscape.
Urging party ranks to gear up for the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections, KTR called for coordinated efforts by Sarpanches and MPTCs to secure an unassailable victory for the BRS symbol 'Car'. He clarified that welfare schemes such as Indiramma houses and pensions are constitutional rights of the people, not the private property of Congress MLAs, and assured full party support to elected BRS representatives facing pressure.
Contrasting Congress misrule with the BRS record, KTR highlighted the transformative development achieved under former Chief Minister KCR - from medical colleges and Mission Bhagiratha to 24-hour free power for agriculture and Rs 73,000 crore deposited directly into farmers' accounts through Rythu Bandhu. These achievements, he said, remain unmatched and continue to guide the people's trust in BRS.
The meeting was attended by former Minister Jagadish Reddy, former MLAs Paila Shekhar Reddy, Gongidi Sunitha, Gadari Kishore Kumar, Chiramarthi Lingayya, Boodida Bikshamayya Goud, senior district leaders and thousands of party workers, the BRS press release said. (ANI)