A. REVANTH REDDY is a busy man. The Telangana Congress president finished two media interactions in 45 minutes at his office in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, and was ready for a third one as he got into his car. He speaks in a low tone as he has to protect his voice and “sustain it until the elections are over”.
Reddy is the spearhead of the Congress’s aggressive campaign in the assembly elections. In fact, he is the one who turned it around for a party plagued by infighting and defection till a few months ago.
Reddy talks about his party’s chances in the polls, the opposition and the key issues in the state. Excerpts:
Q/ Chief Minister KCR has criticised the Congress by evoking the Babri mosque demolition and the alleged communal riots and killings of naxals during Indira Gandhi’s rule. How do you respond to that?
A/ He can go back to the time of freedom struggle and even beyond that and talk about monarchs. But what is the point of discussing it now? We have to learn from history and move forward. That is how politics and governance have evolved over time. People have judged the political consequences of this country, overcame it and made India the strongest democracy in the world. At a time when people want to know what KCR has done as chief minister, he is busy distorting facts and blaming the Congress. His behaviour shows that he has already accepted defeat.
Q/ How seriously will the issue of unemployment influence the polls?
A/ The PRC (Pay Revision Commission) constituted by this government gave a report that there were two lakh vacant government jobs. Whether it was in 1969 or 2009, the street agitations by students and the unemployed youth for a separate Telangana state centred on government jobs. When Telangana was created, the vacant jobs were one lakh, which has increased in the past 10 years and now stands at two lakh. For denying jobs to the eligible youth and destroying their lives, 30 lakh unemployed voters will throw out KCR.
Q/ It is natural for anti-incumbency to set in after nine years. Are the section of voters moving towards you anti-BRS or pro-Congress?
A/ The Congress is not fighting this election on the plank of anti-incumbency. We are seeking positive votes based on our six guarantees, manifesto and all the important projects we had taken up during the Congress rule between 2004 and 2014, be it successfully getting investment and creating employment or filling up government recruitments in a proper way or providing free power to farmers. We are going into elections presenting our track record and our policy document for the future.
Q/ Why are you contesting from two seats?
A/ The party high command thought it was the right move to contest against KCR and defeat him in the court of the public.
Q/ Will you become chief minister?
A/ The Congress follows a certain process to elect its chief minister and there will be no exemption for Revanth Reddy from that. The party will decide who will be the chief minister.
Q/ The AIMIM and its friendly party BRS are confident of getting minority votes.
A/ The contest is between the NDA coalition and INDIA alliance. The BRS, the BJP and the AIMIM are in the NDA coalition whereas the Congress, the CPI and the Telangana Jana Samithi are in the INDIA alliance. The NDA coalition has been in power in the centre as well as in the state for 10 years. People have decided to vote against their inefficient administration and flawed policies. So, the Congress and its allies are coming to power in the state.
Q/ You could not accommodate the CPI(M) in your alliance.
A/ We will work with each other in the Lok Sabha elections. The communist parties are natural allies of the Congress. We may not fight together in these elections but we have a broader understanding and agreement on issues.
Q/ It has been two and half years since you became the party president. How do you rate your tenure?
A/ I would like to believe that I passed with distinction even though I wanted to score 100 out of 100. I will work harder in future. I have a few more months in the three-year term, during which I will address the pending issues.
Q/ You have promised 10g of gold for eligible brides. What is the significance of this poll promise?
A/ For women, there is a sentiment attached to gold. During weddings, parents follow the custom of offering gold to the brides. We felt that through our gold promise, parents would get a great amount of financial relief and it would add to their happiness.
Q/ The Congress lost the assembly elections twice even after helping the creation of Telangana.
A/ The Congress did not address the Telangana issue for political gains. The party thought that it was necessary to recognise the legitimate right of the people of Telangana. The Congress weighed pros and cons and gave Telangana with the sole intention of giving people what was rightfully theirs. The people gave KCR two chances after that, but he turned out to be a failure. After 10 years, people have now got clarity that it is time to give a chance to the Congress under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.
Q/ What will be the impact of Telangana elections on the Lok Sabha elections next year?
A/ Karnataka was the first step. And Telangana is the second. To unfurl the flag of the Congress in Delhi in 2024, these steps are crucial. The decisive result of Telangana elections will be a turning point in national politics.
Q/ How many seats will you win?
A/ We are forming the government with absolute majority. We will get 80-85 seats (of total 119), and the BRS will not cross 25.
Q/ Will you welcome back the leaders who had defected from the Congress to the BRS if they want to return?
A/ We have devised a special strategy to ensure they do not enter the assembly this time. They cheated the party and the cadre, and abandoned them during tough times. We will not forgive them and there is no question of allowing them back into the party.
Q/ What political developments do you expect after December 3, the day the results come out?
A/ Faced with a humiliating defeat, BRS leaders will withdraw from public. They thought that they were the kings and people were slaves. But those who they treated as slaves would teach KCR and his family a lesson. The BRS will be reduced to an insignificant entity. A Congress government will be formed on December 9―it is an auspicious day for Telangana, as the state was announced on that day in 2009. It is also the birthday of our leader, Sonia Gandhi.