KCR should apologise for engineering defections: Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad, June 27 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday demanded that Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao apologise for engineering defections of legislators when he was the chief minister.

Stating that KCR has no moral right to speak about defections, Revanth Reddy claimed that it was KCR who started this and "bought" 61 MLAs and MLCs.

Addressing a news conference in Delhi, the Chief Minister demanded that the BRS supremo should come to Telangana Martyrs' Memorial and apologise for encouraging defections.

Revanth Reddy was replying to a question about the BRS finding fault with the defection of its five MLAs to the Congress.

The Chief Minister recalled the statements by BRS leaders K. T. Rama Rao and Harish Rao that the Congress government would collapse within 100 days. He said the BJP leaders had also made similar statements.

The Congress leader remarked that KCR's eyes have not opened even after BRS drew a blank in recent Lok Sabha elections.

He mentioned that the vote share of BRS has plunged to 16 per cent.

He reiterated that KCR helped BJP win Lok Sabha seats to defeat the Congress party.

Revanth Reddy remarked that KCR, who was not even allowing his MLAs to come closer to him till recently, had now opened the doors of his farmhouse.

He slammed the former chief minister for not accepting the invitation to attend state formation day celebrations.

"Is there any tradition of the leader of the opposition speaking at state formation day celebrations," he asked while responding to a statement by BRS leaders that KCR did not attend the ceremony as he was not given an opportunity to speak.

The Chief Minister said the Congress party would benefit from the experience and services of senior Congress leader T. Jeevan Reddy.

He alleged that the opposition tried to take advantage of Jeevan Reddy's reported unhappiness.

Jeevan Reddy, a member of the Legislative Council, had come out openly against the Chief Minister's move to admit BRS MLA M. Sanjay Kumar into the party without consulting him.

The Congress leadership summoned the senior leader to Delhi to pacify him.

Revanth Reddy, who is also the president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), said that the term of PCC president was three years and he had already requested the high command to appoint a new president.

The Chief Minister, who is camping in Delhi for three days, said with the formation of new government at the Centre, he was trying to secure pending funds for the state. He reiterated that the state government would work with the Centre for the state's development.

Revanth Reddy said he was meeting central ministers to request adequate budgetary allocations. He also plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.