In a statement that has raised eyebrows in political circles, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP hinted that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy could quit the Congress and join the saffron party.
Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind drew parallels between Reddy and his West Bengal counterpart, saying the Telangana chief minister “might turn out like Suvendu Adhikari”.
Adhikari, once a close aide of Mamata Banerjee and a senior leader in the Trinamool Congress, quit the party to join the BJP in 2021 and later emerged as one of the saffron party’s key faces in West Bengal politics.
In remarks seemingly aimed at unsettling the Telangana Congress leadership, Arvind said the Congress had chosen Revanth Reddy as chief minister by overlooking several senior leaders in the party.
He further predicted defeat for the Congress party in the next Telangana Assembly elections.
It’s just a matter of time for Congress CM Revanth Reddy to ditch Congress and join BJP🚨
— Putta Vishnuvardhan Reddy (@PuttaVishnuVR) May 18, 2026
Hear👇BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri quoting PM Modi ji’s open offer to Revanth & drawing parallels to Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal.@RahulGandhi🤡 #BJPCongressBhaiBhai… pic.twitter.com/PWxJqet7st
Arvind’s comments gained traction as they came days after Reddy shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public event in Hyderabad. Responding to concerns raised by the chief minister regarding the state’s development, Modi reportedly told him: “Aap jahan pahunchna chahte hain, nahi pahunch payenge. Aur isliye achha hai ki mere se hi jodo (You cannot reach where you aim to reach. Hence, it is better you join me).”
Although Reddy later attempted to downplay Modi's remarks, saying they were made in the context of Centre-state cooperation and carried no political meaning, the exchange triggered speculation in political circles.
On earlier occasions, Reddy had referred to Modi as his “big brother” and praised the “Gujarat model” of governance, remarks that had already attracted wide attention.
Arvind has now added fuel to the political chatter by comparing Reddy with Suvendu Adhikari, though he cautiously clarified that he was “just a small karyakarta” in the BJP and was unaware of any political understanding between Modi and the Telangana chief minister.
