Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s controversial remarks are reportedly causing embarrassment for the Congress party, with the party’s central leadership said to be concerned about his repeated public statements.
His comments about cricketer Mohammed Siraj, including the reference to his educational background while discussing his appointment as a DSP, as well as his remarks suggesting that unemployed youth should “drink Endrin,” have drawn criticism. His comments referring to engineers as “criminal waste” have also reportedly added to the concerns within the party.
According to senior Congress leaders, opposition parties have been using Revanth Reddy’s statements to target the Congress leadership. Whenever Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, raise political issues in Delhi, opponents are reportedly responding by asking them to first “control their own Revanth Reddy,” putting the leadership in a difficult position
Revanth Reddy’s remarks during the Jubilee Hills by-election period, including his statement linking Muslims and Congress, and his subsequent comments about Siraj, are also said to have reached the attention of the party high command.
At a time when Rahul Gandhi has been extending support to students protesting at Jantar Mantar, Revanth Reddy’s remarks concerning unemployed youth and engineers are reportedly being viewed within the party as politically damaging and inconsistent with the Congress leadership’s messaging.
His earlier comments concerning Bihar’s DNA have also reportedly created political complications, with Prashant Kishor publicly challenging Revanth Reddy and stating that he would work to defeat the Congress in Telangana in the next elections. Senior leaders are said to have discussed the potential political fallout from such remarks.
Congress leaders reportedly acknowledge that Revanth Reddy’s aggressive political rhetoric helped energize the party’s campaign ahead of the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. However, they now argue that continuing the same style of rhetoric after becoming Chief Minister could damage the party’s long-term prospects in the state.
Critics say that the Chief Minister’s office carries a certain dignity and responsibility, and that Revanth Reddy’s repeated controversial statements are failing to maintain that level of decorum.
There are also concerns within Congress that the BRS is successfully taking Revanth Reddy’s controversial statements and government decisions to the public as part of its political campaign. According to reports, some senior Telangana Congress leaders have warned the high command that if the situation continues, the party could face serious difficulties in retaining power in the state.
Reports that even sections of the Congress-friendly media and national media have begun portraying Revanth Reddy as a political burden for the party have reportedly added to the leadership’s concerns.