The appointment of A. Revanth Reddy as president of the Congress in Telangana seems to have energised party workers. Known for his sharp rhetoric and rebellious attitude, the 53-year-old MP has admirers cutting across party lines and a strong social media presence—qualities that set him apart from fellow Congress leaders.
It has been less than four years since he quit the Telugu Desam Party and joined the Congress. Reddy’s 15-year-old political career has seen several highs and lows. In 2015, he was arrested on charges of paying bribes to influence voters during the legislative council elections. Last year, a case was filed against him for allegedly flying a drone over a private property without permission.
Reddy says he has been a victim of political vendetta. He is now focused on a four-step plan to revive the Congress’s fortunes in the state. “Crisis makes leaders,” he says. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:
Many senior leaders were in the race for the top post. Why were you chosen?
There is no specific reason. We are in the opposition and we have to fight. That is the situation. When the party is in power, experienced leaders are needed to make key decisions. When in opposition, it is important to fight for people’s issues. [Chief Minister] K. Chandrashekar Rao has been misusing power and silencing the opposition. I have been given a chance since it is the right time to put up a committed fight.
In 2014, the Congress won 21 assembly seats. Today, the party has only six MLAs.
KCR has used state machinery to encourage defections, disturb businesses owned by elected representatives of other parties and foist false cases on them. Those who could withstand the pressure are still in the party; those who could not have left. In 2014, the vote share of the Congress was 24 per cent; in 2018, it increased to around 29 per cent. Though we lost two seats, our vote share went up. (The Congress had won 19 seats in 2018, but 12 MLAs later joined the TRS. The Congress also a lost a bypoll in 2019.)
What are the immediate plans for revival?
We will move forward with four steps. First is policy—regarding welfare and development. Second is calculation—exploring combinations of political parties and organisations [that can help us in polls]. Third is communication. We want to explain all our decisions to the people. We want every village and tribal hamlet to be aware of our efforts to develop the state and ensure the welfare of the people. Fourth is execution. We want to focus on poll management, right from the booth level. All rich and powerful political parties wish to hire strategists like Prashant Kishor, but we will focus on local issues and turn every Congress worker into a PK.
You have the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on one side and a rising BJP on the other. Can the Congress withstand the threats?
A.B. Vajpayee twice formed governments at the Centre, and then lost in 2004. Then came two terms of Congress-led governments. After that, Narendra Modi won twice. The pattern is: two terms each for Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi. Now it is the turn of the Congress.
Similarly, at the state level, the TDP was in power from 1994 to 2004; the Congress from 2004 to 2014; and the TRS from 2014 onwards. Whether you go by sentiment or political calculation, it is the turn of the Congress [in 2024].
Y.S. Sharmila, daughter of former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, is an emerging opponent. Will it affect the Congress?
There is a lot of respect and love for Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in Telangana. That does not mean that the family can do political business in Telangana. During the 2014 assembly polls, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sharmila and their mother, Vijayamma, extensively campaigned in Telangana, but still got only three seats.
After seven years, Sharmila says she belongs here and wants to start a party. But she should first understand the fabric of Telangana. Playing with the public sentiment here will only lower YSR’s popularity. This is KCR’s plan to split the anti-KCR votes that go to the Congress, which include the votes of the weaker sections and YSR loyalists.
Your past association with the RSS comes to the fore time and again. You were an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader.
Raghuveera Reddy, former minister and president of the Congress’s Andhra Pradesh unit, was a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. Shankarsinh Vaghela, former legislative party leader of the Congress in Gujarat, was also with the RSS and the BJP. Siddaramaiah, who was a Janata Party philosopher, moved to the Congress and became chief minister.
Even though I was associated with the ABVP, I have moved away from it and towards the Gandhi philosophy. I joined the Congress when it was in the opposition because of my belief in Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s leadership.
How do you describe KCR’s seven-year rule?
KCR’s rule in Telangana can be compared to that of Lalu Prasad’s administration in Bihar.
What are your views on Rahul Gandhi?
He is a committed leader who wants to work for the country. Due to the existing permutations and combinations, there might be hurdles in implementing his vision. But there is no other leader in the country who has the integrity he has.
How do you see the plans to field a united opposition candidate against Modi?
There is no option other than Rahul Gandhi. Those outside West Bengal might not accept Mamata Banerjee; other regional leaders would face similar issues. Only a combination in which a bigger party has smaller parties as associates will be successful; bigger parties supporting smaller parties will not provide stable governance. Even [Nationalist Congress Party leader] Sharad Pawar recently said that there was no alternative without the Congress. At the end of the day, whatever the combination may be, the Congress has to lead.