Former Minister Harish Rao has sharply criticized Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s autocratic rule, accusing him of failing to
bring about any real change in the state.
Speaking to media persons present at the Gachibowli Police Station, where he had been brought on Thursday, Rao said: “CM Revanth Reddy talks about change, but all we see are arrests and illegal detentions.” He went on to allege that under the current regime, the police had been misused to target political opponents, particularly those in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Harish Rao was arrested by the police at the residence of BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy in Kondapur on Thursday morning, moved to the Gachibowli Police Station, and let off by evening.
Harish Rao had visited Kaushik Reddy, a day after a case was filed against him by the police at the Banjara Hills Police Station for allegedly obstructing their duties. However, the large posse of police personnel deployed to arrest Kaushik Reddy prevented Harish Rao from meeting him.
Earlier during the day, BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy was arrested in connection with the case registered against him for “threatening, abusing and obstructing a police official”. Harish recounted the ill-treatment of unemployed youth in Ashok Nagar recently, accusing the government of causing physical harm to people. He stated that the CM’s actions were nothing short of an ’emergency rule’, with police powers being abused to silence the Opposition.
Rao also pointed out that despite the claims of development, the government had failed to deliver on its promises. He noted that projects like flyovers, STPs, and Kalaji Kalakshetram were initiated during the tenure of KCR, not Revanth Reddy. He questioned, “In the one year of Revanth’s government, has a single building been constructed? Has any project been completed?”
The BRS leader criticized the lack of execution of the government’s promised schemes, particularly for women and farmers. “You promised Rs. 1 lakh crore in loans for women, but it’s all fake. The Mahalakshmi Pension Scheme is just an illusion,” he added. Rao continued: “In your government, there are no guarantees. There have been only illegal arrests.”
He pointed to aberrations in the CM’s governance. “While Congress president Rahul Gandhi questions why he is being arrested in Delhi, Revanth is doing the same here (warranting a similar question) in Telangana,” Rao said. He urged Rahul Gandhi to first address the situation with CM Revanth before making public comments.
Rao criticized the CM’s approach to dealing with BRS leaders, pointing out that they had been targeted for arrest. He then expressed his concern over the broader implications of such actions for the state’s democracy.
Harish demanded the immediate release of all those arrested, particularly BRS leaders like MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, and called on the police to act within the confines of the law, upholding constitutional rights. “This is not a people’s government, but a government of terror and oppression,” he stated.
Rao also raised the issue of the CM’s close ties with the police, questioning why the government was unwilling to allow fair investigation and due process in the arrests. He appealed to the public to recognize the difference between real governance and the autocratic nature of the current dispensation.
