"We'll Change Telangana Politics": Congress MLA Targets Own Government

Telangana Congress senior leader and MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy lashed out at his own government at an event held at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad on Thursday, declaring that a new political force would emerge in Telangana and challenge corruption, exploitation and the misuse of power.

Addressing the gathering, Rajagopal Reddy said those who had been part of public movements, along with honest individuals and the youth, would eventually enter the Legislative Assembly and bring about a major change in the state's political landscape.

"We will enter the Assembly and change Telangana politics like Tamil Nadu," he said.

Issuing a warning to those in power in the state, he said, "You may come with bags of cash, but we will fight those who are looting thousands of crores in the name of development."

Rajagopal Reddy, who is a vocal critic of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and awaits a ministerial position in the state government, also added that his patience and restraint should not be interpreted as weakness. 

"We will fight against exploitation. Do not mistake our patience and endurance for helplessness," he said.

The MLA particularly criticised the conditions imposed on poor families seeking housing assistance of Rs 5 lakh by the Revanth Reddy government. 

He questioned what he described as an unnecessarily complicated system in which poor beneficiaries are required to meet numerous eligibility conditions to receive assistance, while alleging that large sums of money are being stolen at higher levels.

Rajagopal Reddy said the state government should focus on ensuring that welfare reaches genuinely deserving families rather than creating hurdles for beneficiaries.

He further said that, "When the need arises...for students, the unemployed, the youth, farmers, the poor and our sisters...we will wage war against corruption. We will not back down. We will not fear."

The remarks are seen as an open revolt against the chief minister.