Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy in a spot over claim of BRS ‘meddling’ in Karnataka polls

Former Karnataka minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, who Reddy alleged was approached by KCR, has admitted meeting the Telangana CM, but said it was over a land deal and there was no discussion about politics. Sources in the Telangana Congress said that Khan had also given his statement to AICC leaders after Reddy’s allegations.

KCR himself has not reacted to the allegations.

Reddy made the claim while reacting to remarks made by KCR at its January 18 Khammam rally, attended by top leaders of non-BJP parties. The CM, who is seen as trying to put together a non-BJP, non-Congress coalition, said the Congress has no future in the country.

Reddy claimed that KCR had tried to lure Karnataka Congress leaders and this was the reason JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy did not attend the BRS meeting. The JD(S) had earlier attended the meeting where the BRS was officially launched by KCR.

Sources in the Congress said the AICC has taken a critical view of Reddy’s comments and asked him to refrain from making such allegations. “Senior AICC leaders are looking into the matter, but for now they have asked the Telangana PCC and Karnataka Congress leaders not to stoke controversy again. Revanth Reddy has been asked not to comment about other states,’’ a source said.

Sources said Karnataka Congress leaders too had conveyed their unhappiness over Reddy “dragging one of their leaders” into a controversy.

However, there are indications that the Telangana Congress leadership is rattled by KCR’s meeting with Zameer Ahmed Khan. A win for the Congress in Karnataka would boost the prospects of the Telangana Congress as well.

While that would help Reddy’s prospects as well, the public rebuke by the Congress could not have come at a worse time for him – just ahead of the start of the Congress’s Haath se Haath Jodo padyatra in the state, to be led by him.