Hyderabad: BJP MP Raghunandan Rao challenged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to bring voters who lost their votes during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to a proposed Hyderabad public meeting with Rahul Gandhi. Rao said the move would demonstrate the Chief Minister’s sincerity on the issue. He made the remarks while criticising Congress and BRS leaders over their comments on arrests linked to protests in Delhi.
On Thursday, Rao visited patients receiving treatment at a government hospital after a food poisoning incident at a restaurant in Narsapur town. BJP district president Radha Mallesh Goud accompanied him. Speaking to the media, Rao questioned Congress and BRS leaders for describing the arrests of CJP leaders at Jantar Mantar as unjust and authoritarian.
Rao asked whether those leaders had forgotten the arrests of professors and political leaders during the Telangana statehood movement. He also questioned BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao over the arrest of Professor Kodandaram Reddy after officials allegedly broke down doors. Furthermore, he cited the 1969 Telangana agitation and alleged that 369 people were shot dead under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after they demanded Telangana.
SIR voter deletions prompt challenge to Congress
Rao accused Congress and BRS leaders of lecturing others on democracy despite their parties’ past actions. He argued that democratic governments could take action to protect public and government property when protests crossed limits. At the same time, he said political leaders should remember how authorities handled earlier agitations.
The BJP MP also responded to Congress allegations that his party had stolen votes. He challenged the Chief Minister and ministers to visit their native villages and establish how many names had disappeared from voter lists. Specifically, Rao proposed visiting Revanth Reddy’s native village, Kondareddypalli, to check the number of affected voters.
Rao questioned whether booth-level officers (BLOs), whom he said Congress had appointed, were removing the party’s own voters. He accused Congress of making a mockery of democracy through its claims over SIR voter deletions. He also urged the government to stop what he described as petty political activity. Instead, he demanded a reliable power supply for crops and steps to prevent farmer suicides.