A US-returnee entrepreneur, Reddy, won the Chevella Lok Sabha seat in 2014 on a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ticket. He lost the seat in 2019 as a Congress candidate. Reddy is contesting the 2024 elections again from Chevella seat, on a BJP ticket.
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Reddy, who has a masters in engineering from the United States, comes from an illustrious family of Telangana. The state’s Rangareddy district, part of the Chevella constituency, is named after his grandfather Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, the first deputy Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh.
His father Konda Madhava Reddy was former Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra High Courts. He is married to Sangitha Reddy, daughter of Dr Pratap C Reddy, Founder and Chairman of Apollo Hospitals. Sangitha owns bulk of the family wealth at ₹ 3,208 crore, as per the election affidavit filed by Reddy.
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Reddy is up against the Congress party’s Member of Parliament (MP) G Ranjith Reddy (assets ₹435 crore) and BRS’s Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj (assets ₹228 crore) in Chevella, where voting takes place on May 13 along with other Telangana seats in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha Elections.
In an exclusive interview with LiveMint, Reddy talks about his third contest in Chevella, his switches between all three parties, the role of money and why Telangana is key for BJP’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission south. Excerpts from the edited interview:
You won the 2014 Lok Sabha Election as a BRS candidate. You contested in 2019 election as a Congress candidate. Why did you quit these two parties?
The BRS and the Congress have deceived Telangana. While the BRS has deviated from the ideals of Telangana agitation and focused solely on enriching a single family, the Congress party, in the last two terms, has enabled the misrule of BRS by strengthening it by sending its MLAs (defecting to BRS).
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Even today, there is not much difference after Congress came to power in the state. Like the BRS, the Congress deceived Telangana by making false promises and focusing solely on corruption.
Now, you have chosen the BJP. Why?
The BJP, on the other hand, is the only party which is driven by an agenda to strengthen India and not enrich a single family and perpetuate the family’s rule. India has moved from 10th to 5th largest economy in the world during PM Modi’s two terms.
Today we are the fastest growing large economy in the world. During the same time, 25 crore Indians were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty. From removing Article 370 of Jammu and Kashmir to decimating Left-wing extremism and terrorism, it has made the country more integrated and safer than ever.
At the same time, the BJP is the only party that has a vision and a plan for the future–Making India the third-largest economy during the next term and a developed country by 2047. I have immense confidence in the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and believe the BJP is the only party that can make the goal of a developed India possible soon.
How does it help your constituency Chevella?
Chevella hosts the IT and financial hubs in Telangana. Chevella is a growth engine for Hyderabad and hence for India. This is a time to focus on fast-paced development, utilising the demographic dividend we are bestowed with.
I believe Chevella can benefit and contribute a lot when the agenda is growth – which is at the core of BJP and PM Modi’s agenda.
You are BJP’s richest candidate so far? What role, according to you, does money play in politics, especially in Telangana?
The influence of money and liquor in elections was minimal in Telangana until 2014. Only after the BRS came to power did money’s influence grow tremendously. This resulted from the corruption that BRS leaders resorted to at every level. In this election, the power of money and liquor is waning. The voters have given a strong message by throwing out BRS in the recent Assembly elections, in spite of BRS spending huge sums–maybe the highest in the country per constituency.
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People like the BJP government and PM Modi’s development, welfare, security and stability track record. The opposition does not even have a common program or a common leader. All they have to offer is Modi-hate. Voters see this election as a contest between Modi and his track-record, versus hate against Modi.
You returned from US and started working in your area. Can you list some of your achievements?
I started the ‘Swachh Truck’ initiative to clean toilets in nearly 90 schools in my constituency. My trucks clean the school toilets in the rural areas of the constituency every day. This benefits the girl child immensely. I myself have cleaned toilets in these schools. That is something I will always be proud of. Every time a central minister visits, I take my team to meet them. The idea is to inculcate what Mahatma Gandhi tried to promote throughout his life- the dignity of labour and the importance of cleanliness and sanitation.
BJP is trying to make inroads in the southern states. How key is Telangana for BJP’s fortunes in the South?
After Karnataka, Telangana will be the second state with a BJP government soon. After Karnataka, Telangana will be the second state with BJP winning the highest number of seats in the state, even in this election. We will see tremendous growth in vote share all over the South and will gain significant number of seats overall from the southern states.
The North-South division that Rahul Gandhi and the opposition harp on will be proven wrong by the electorate. BJP’s performance in Telangana is key to busting the insidious and divisive campaign of the INDIA bloc leaders.
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Published: 09 May 2024, 11:06 AM IST