Revanth Reddy is tapping phones of Ministers, Opposition leaders, says KTR

BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Friday said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was tapping the phones of his own Ministers, Opposition leaders and other prominent leaders.

Dismissing accusations by the Congress of BRS involvement in phone-tapping and irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), he challenged the Chief Minister to prove his claims and also dared dared him to take a lie detector test before the media to prove he was not engaging in phone tapping. He asserted that Revanth Reddy’s government was tapping phones of not only Ministers but even of leaders within the Congress.

“If Revanth has the guts, let him join me for a public lie detector test and declare openly that he is not involved in phone-tapping Ministers or opposition members,” he said.

Participating in the ABP Southern Rising Summit here on Friday, the BRS working president pointed out that Revanth Reddy was caught red-handed with Rs.50 lakh in the Vote for Note case where he tried to bribe a legislator. “How can someone with such a record of unethical actions speak against us?” he asked, terming the Congress accusations against the BRS even after coming to power as mere diversion tactics to cover up its failures to deliver on electoral promises including the Six Guarantees within first 100 days.

Rama Rao targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for hypocrisy, questioning why Gandhi, who spoke of justice and equality and the Constitution in Delhi, remained silent about the Congress-led government’s actions against marginalised communities in Telangana. He demanded to know why the Congress leader was not willing speak about his party leaders encouraging defections in Telangana, while he himself opposed it in Congress-ruled States. He urged Gandhi to focus



on protect people from Congress-led ‘bulldozer raj’ that threatened the poor and marginalised sections.

Rama Rao also criticised calls to spur population growth in Southern States, urging leaders to address the root causes first, including improved infrastructure and living conditions. He felt that expensive education and healthcare as well as lack of conducive atmosphere and support system for women, were deterring the middle-class from having more children.

“Before asking people to have more kids, the governments should improve infrastructure in cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, where daily life struggles deter families from expanding,” Rama Rao said. It was a personal choice of couples, especially women, he said.

On fears of Southern States losing Lok Sabha seats due to delimitation, he suggested that all political parties should fight together and convince the Centre not to penalise the Southern States for effective population control which was encouraged by the Centre itself.

On the BRS loss in recent elections, he acknowledged anti-incumbency and a need for better communication. “We narrowly lost by 1.8 per cent i.e. four lakh votes, but it’s a learning experience.” He attributed the Congress victory to “imaginary six guarantees” that swayed rural voters but assured that BRS would focus on clearer outreach moving forward.

When asked about former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Rama Rao affirmed his good health and commitment to Telangana’s progress. “KCR and people of Telangana have an altogether different love story. Their bond remains unbreakable. Our agenda is not just power but ensuring Telangana’s growth,” he concluded, promising that the BRS would regroup and come back stronger.