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Three months after taking charge as the Telangana Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy, 56, seems to be stepping up his government’s bid to implement various guarantees and schemes — which the Congress pledged in its election manifesto — and launch several development projects.
As part of this exercise, CM Revanth, who also continues to be the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, is adopting a bipartisan approach, connecting with even the principal Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) while also reaching out to other Opposition parties such as the BJP and the AIMIM.
When he took over as the TPCC chief in June 2021, Revanth was accused by his detractors within and outside the Congress of being “autocratic and unamiable”, even though his supporters maintain that he has always been a “friendly person”. However, now that he needs support from various quarters, ranging from the BJP-ruled Centre to the Opposition camps in the state, Revanth, in a tricky balancing act, is extending his hand of friendship to everyone.
According to sources, Revanth believes that now that the elections are over, despite the fact that they were fought on competing ideologies and policies of different parties, the leaders should join hands to ensure all-round development of the state instead of perpetuating their rivalries.
On March 4, Revanth Reddy flew to Adilabad to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who had arrived to dedicate to the nation several development projects and lay the foundation stone for some new projects – to greet and welcome him. A contrast was drawn to how his predecessor and BRS chief, K Chandrashekar Rao, avoided attending events with the PM.
Then, referring to Modi at the event, Revanth, speaking in Hindi, called him “bada bhai (elder brother)” and sought the Centre’s support for the development of Telangana. “Hamare hisaab se Pradhan Mantri matlab bade bhai (According to us, Prime Minister means elder brother),” Revanth said.
He then praised the Gujarat model and Modi’s wish of making India a 5 trillion dollar economy. “Please support us in the Metro rail… Just as you developed the Sabarmati river (in Ahmedabad), we want to regenerate our Musi river,” the CM said to cheers from the audience.
On March 8, Revanth was all praise for AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and his leadership. Speaking at a programme held for laying the foundation stone of the Old City Metro Project, the CM said Owaisi has been one of the few parliamentarians who raises his voice for not only minority communities but all 140 crore Indians. “He (Owaisi) speaks for all 140 crore Indians,’’ Revanth said.
While senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi have called the AIMIM the “B” team of the BJP, Revanth’s outreach to the AIMIM could be attributed to local factors. With 64 MLAs, just four more than the simple majority mark of 60, the Congress needs the support of the AIMIM (7 MLAs) for the smooth functioning of the Assembly as well as its government.
A significant chunk of the minority votes in the state’s rural belts shifted to the Congress from the BRS in the November 2023 Assembly polls. So the grand old party feels that keeping its ties with the AIMIM would be helpful for its future prospects.
While spearheading the Congress’s election campaign, Revanth had accused the AIMIM of “colluding” with the then incumbent BRS government, to implement “failed policies”. However, after the Congress stormed to power, the CM struck a reconciliatory note, requesting Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to name AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, Asauddin’s younger brother, as protem Speaker to administer oath to the newly-elected MLAs.
During the inaugural session of the newly-constituted Assembly, Revanth also sought the support of the AIMIM MLAs for smooth sailing of the Congress government.
After taking oath as the CM, Revanth urged the AIMIM that its MLAs give suggestions to his government for making new policies. “The CM also gives appointments to BRS MLAs and leaders who wish to meet him irrespective of reasons,’’ a Congress leader said.
As regards the Congress’s Left allies CPI and CPI(M), notwithstanding its tough seat-sharing negotiations with them ahead of the Assembly polls that strained their relations, Revanth has also made peace with CPI secretary K Sambasiva Rao, who won from the Kothagudem Assembly constituency, and CPI(M) secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram.
The CPI(M) did not get to contest the Assembly elections. Veerabhadram was upset over it, but when he was admitted to hospital with chest pain, Revanth was one of the first to visit him.
Similarly, although Revanth has been accusing the BJP of “conspiring” with the BRS to destabilise his government, he has maintained a cordial relationship with the state BJP leaders, including the party’s eight MLAs.
However, with the Modi government now notifying the rules for implementing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Revanth’s efforts to maintain warm relations with the Opposition parties, particularly the BJP, will be tested. Along with the Congress, the BRS, AIMIM, and Left parties are all opposed to the CAA.
In March 2020, the then KCR government had passed a unanimous resolution against the CAA, suggesting that either the Centre amend it to include Muslim refugees too, or withdraw the legislation.
